Emerald Destiny
by ShadowWinged Wolf
Summary: Normalcy only exists as a mask to insanity, and Lia wears it well. But between an anti starter, rivals with unfair advantages, and the deity of the sky Rayquaza, can she ever make that mask her reality? Can she reach her goal of normal?
1. Prolouge: Of Destiny

Hello, and welcome to my little story. It's my first fic, I'm afraid, so please forgive a few things here and there. But, enough about that! Please, give this a read!

Disclaimer: I am not rich. Therefore, I cannot possibly own Pokemon. Ah, the tragedies of life.

----------------------------------------------------

The eon pokemon soared over the land, together as always.

Normally, the siblings were joyful; with Latias speeding away only a few inches from the ground and the stern Latios sighing as he followed.

But not today – something horrible had happened.

The looks on their faces were pained as they flew towards the large column of black smoke in the distance. They glided over the endless blue ocean, creating walls of water on either side as they raced to an old tower that was slowly falling into the water.

When the two pokemon arrived, they were forced to stare bleakly at the smoldering remains of the Sky Pillar as it sank quietly into the sea. Latias put her claws to her mouth and trembled as Latios tried to tear his eyes away from the tragic site.

"Who…could have done this?" she finally whispered.

"Them." said Latios, pointing to the people standing at the bottom.

There were about ten humans standing there, grinning deliriously at their accomplishment. They all wore long-sleeved green shirts with a silver S on it, and the green beanies they wore on their head bore the same symbol. The men and women wore green pants and full-length skirts, respectively, and they each had silver boots upon their feet.

Among these people was a prominent looking man in a sharp green suit, smiling at the scene before him as if it made him happy. He had untamed ink black hair and sharp features, looking rather fierce. His cold steel eyes glinted in delight.

Latios and Latias turned transparent and floated closer, trying to catch their conversation.

One of the men finally said, "Are you pleased, Master Relem?"

The young man grinned widely, revealing a row of gleaming teeth. "Of course. You all followed my plan perfectly. You are sure that none of the Sky Tribe are still alive?"

"Not a one." came the reply.

He nodded, closing his eyes and smiling. "Excellent. You are all promoted. Now…"

Relem looked wistfully at the rubble, as if there was something in there he cherished dearly.

"Go in there and find the Green Orb. Be extremely careful with it, as it is worth more than all our lives. Take this to guide you."

He pulled a pendant out from beneath his shirt and handed it to the nearest person. At first sight, it just seemed a flake of green underneath a glass cover, but it was so much more than that.

The 'flake' was actually a scale, an iridescent piece of emerald skin that had a dark gold line engraved into it.

"Boss…is this…?" breathed its holder.

Relem tilted his head slightly, smiling proudly. "What else could it be? A Rayquaza scale, indeed."

Latias nearly let out a squeak of surprise but her brother quickly muffled her, focusing on the astonished grunts.

She touched her brother's mind and said, _That's…his…_

_Yes._ Latios replied, narrowing his eyes. _When could they have gotten that?_

Relem suddenly became serious and said, "I believe that I can trust Team Sky with this mission?"

The grunts replied unanimously, "Yes sir!"

"Then proceed."

As Relem departed for his waiting Flygon, the grunt holding the scale yelled, "What's our motto?"

The grunts flung their arms into the air, cheering, "Reach for the sky!"

Latios growled as the grunts rushed into the wreckage, their Mightyena trailing behind them. The tower had fallen apart, leaving nothing but crumbled, sandy stones – mere remnants of the once majestic spire.

Latias, however, was much more concerned with a small island behind the pillar.

Without warning, she flew towards it, leaving Latios stunned for a few seconds before taking off after her. She abruptly stopped at the shore, letting her brother catch up.

"What are you thinking, become visible and rushing into the open? Someone might… have…" He trailed off as he saw was Latias was staring at with her wide, golden eyes.

Lying there face-down in the sand was a young girl, no older than three or four. She was unconscious and bleeding profusely, with one particularly bad gash along her left bicep. She wore the tattered remains of a sea green and beige robe, and her reddish brown hair fell over her face, obscuring it from view.

Latias whispered, "She's from the Sky Tribe? Then we have to help-"

"Don't touch her!" Latios snapped sharply.

His sister pulled back her claws from the young girl's head, not sure if she was more surprised by his harsh tone or the bright field of green electricity that had suddenly exploded around the child.

Latios softened his tone and explained, "The Sky Tribe is…was the clan that built the Sky Pillar. The made it in tribute of Rayquaza, their protector, and in turn he gave them the Green Orb. It allows anyone who possesses it to summon him at will, but the Sky Tribe was wary of anyone seeing or handling it should it be used for ill. Where do you think they would hide such a thing?"

Latias looked at the girl narrowing her eyes and focusing her power. Suddenly, it was visible to her – inside the little girl's heart was a small glass orb, no bigger than a golf ball. It seemed to be made of the purest emeralds, and it gave off a soft green glow.

"Inside a heart? Were they insane?" she exclaimed.

Latios shook his head slowly, saying, "Maybe, but at least no one could misuse it this way. It must have been passed down to her."

He closed his eyes and clasped his claws together, forming a misty blue orb before him.

Latias blinked, "What are you doing?"

He opened a crimson eye and said, "Are we going to help her or not?"

Latias smiled in understanding and focused as well, creating a red energy sphere. After a few minutes, the two orbs merged together and formed a soft lavender light that washed over the girl. The electricity subsided and finally vanished as the eon power dispelled it.

Latias hovered closer to the ground and gathered the girl in her arms, careful not to scratch her with her claws. When the child was securely in Latias's grasp, she nodded to Latios, and the two flew away from the fallen pillar and those who wished to harm the girl.

--- --- ---

Five months passed after that, and the three were hiding out in the lush expanses of grass on Rt. 120. Latios skimmed the tall grass slowly, allowing the little girl to chase after him, laughing happily. Latias soon came into the area, clutching a few Pecha berries in her claws.

"Lia, come and eat." she called.

Because the eon pokemon were capable of human speech, they were able to inquire the girl about her background after she awoke. But for the first few days, all she could do was either sit and cry or stare blankly at nothing, hardly pausing to eat or sleep.

Sometimes she would scream for her mother or Rayquaza until her throat was raw. Other times she would lay on her back and stare unblinkingly at the sky for hours on end.

She was constantly on the edge of insanity.

But one day, she had simply woken up and told them that her name was Lia, and ever since then she had been a happy, bubbly child. She seemed not to remember anything but her name and a 'strange, green dragon' that she saw in her dreams sometimes. And whenever she said this, Latios and Latias would glance at each other and say nothing, waiting for the thought to pass from her mind.

Now Lia sat contently, eating her berry and watching the pokemon wander by. The eon pokemon spoke in hushed tones, trying not to catch Lia's attention.

"So you've found it?" Latios whispered urgently.

Latias nodded sadly, saying, "Yes. It's a little house off the shore of Olivine in Johto. No one should find her there. With luck, she'll never come back to Hoenn again. But…" She trailed off, looking at the little girl with sad eyes.

Latios followed her gaze and sighed, "She's grown on me too, but we can't risk Team Sky finding her. You don't want her to get hurt, do you?"

Latias shook her head and said firmly, "Let's go now."

She glided over the girl and sweetly said, "Are you done eating, Lia?"

"Yep!" she chirped, berry juice smeared over her face.

Latias smiled softly and affectionately wiped off the child's face before taking her into her arms and heading towards the sky, her brother right by her side.

"Flying? We're flying! Where are we going?" she chirped eagerly.

"Johto." Latios replied curtly.

"Where's that? Is there a lot of blue sky there? I love the sky!" she giggled.

The eons watched the little girl stretch out her arms and close her eyes. A serene look came over her face, as if flying came naturally to her. The tattered robe billowed around her, giving her an ethereal look.

Latios smiled bitterly – she was certainly Rayquaza's child.

--- --- ---

It was a long flight, but presently they came to a quaint little port that rested just above the Whirlpool Islands. The sun was bright and the waves were blue, making Olivine City a beautiful beach front city.

Latias carefully shifted Lia on one arm and pointed briefly with the other, singling out a small house on the shore.

A young woman was drying laundry in the front yard, and her husband was training a small Slakoth by making it move boulders. The woman was pinning up sheet after sheet cheerily, seemingly oblivious to the huge pile of laundry next to her. There were little cardboard boxes everywhere – they just moved in.

Latios observed the childless family and sighed. He knew it was for the best, but still… Latias hesitated, holding Lia tightly in her arms and staring.

_Hey…Latios…_ she began psychically.

_Latias…_

_What if we just…kept her? You know? Rayquaza will come back eventually._

_Latias._

_She'd be alright, we'd protect her… She already likes us…_

_**Latias!**_

She looked up, startled, at her brother's serious expression. Lia looked curiously from one to the other, holding Latias tightly.

"This is what's best." he decided firmly.

Latios had to psychically pry the girl from his sister's arms. She turned her head sharply and remained silent.

He turn transparent and glided closer and closer, until he was nearly directly above the woman. Just when she stretched out her arms to reach for another sheet of laundry, he dropped Lia into her arms, controlling her fall. The little girl landed directly into the woman's arms, causing her to let out a small scream. The eon pokemon hovered invisibly nearby to make sure she was taken in.

"Maria? What's wrong?" The man quickly ran over to his wife, staring bewilderedly at the child in her arms.

Maria stared into the air as she put down the child, then said, "She…she just fell from the sky…"

The man looked up and squinted into the bright sky, saying, "There isn't a plane around! So where did she…"

Maria wasn't paying attention. She was instead staring at the disheveled child clinging to her leg, tears welling up in her eyes. The poor thing was rightfully terrified of the whole ordeal. The girl turned her large blue eyes towards the woman and gave a whispered squeak.

"…Mama…?"

The woman's expression softened instantly. She knelt down and held the child to her.

"Norman?" she whispered. "I want to keep her."

He whipped around, staring at her incredulously with amber eyes. "Keep her? But we can't just-"

The look in her dark eyes stopped him cold, allowing her to continue, "Norman, I know you love your pokemon, but they can be all we have! I think this is someone's way of trying to tell us that."

Norman ran a hand through his course black hair, staring for the first time at the child with reddish brown hair, sky blue eyes, and a tattered robe.

"What's your name?" he finally asked the little girl, exasperated.

"It's Lia." she replied shyly. She then stared up at him with a cute, confused face. "Are you my daddy?"

Norman seemed a bit taken aback at this, but then he knelt down to her level and smiled slightly, replying, "Yeah, I guess I am."

Lia smiled shyly and walked to him, allowing him to pick her up. He looked surprised at how light and small the child was and how easily she accepted him.

He caught his wife's eye. She was smiling so happily at them and even he started to feel happy. A daughter. Wow. But she could be their daughter.

He didn't quite know what he would do, but for now, he would care for this child.

The sibling pokemon watched the new family walk into their home, and then quietly prepared to leave. They took one last look at Lia, who by chance was staring at them from over her father's shoulder.

She waved good-bye to them childishly, moving her fingers up and down in unison.

Latias waved her claw in a final good-bye, and then turned slowly around and flew off.

By the time Norman had turned to see what his new daughter was waving at, they had already gone.

----------------------------------------------------------

Long time readers will find the first half of the story (Prolouge - Chapter 10) newly revamped. Please read through it again! As for my first time readers, thank you very much! Please, leave a review and continue on!


	2. Chapter 1: Of Disobident Torchics

Ah, Chapter 1, the true beginning of my story. Can't screw up here! Well, maybe I can. At least I'm semi-optimistic.

Disclaimer: I own the fabulous Mighty Morphing Poke Rangers as they appear here, but no related puns or characters, including Pokemon.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lia stared dully out the moving van window, watching the rain slosh against the glass. She played idly with her shoulder-length copper hair, mindlessly watching a Surskirt skim by with sky blue eyes. She wore a lavender bandana on her head, and it had a small dark blue pokeball design on the front. She wore a lavender sleeveless shirt with dark blue fingerless gloves and matching shorts, and on her feet were white and blue Reeboks.

"Mom, are we almost there?" she inquired, looking to her left.

Her mother ran a hand through her dark brown hair and said, "Soon, Lia, very soon. See? There's Oldale Town right out the window."

Lia slumped down in her seat and said, "I don't see why we had to move. I've lived in Olivine City for ten years!"

To most, this statement would seem odd, for Lia was thirteen, but she had moved there when she was only three. She couldn't even remember where she had lived before. To Lia, Olivine had been her whole life.

"I only had two more months before I graduated and became a trainer! I could have gone with Irene and travelled across Johto with a Chikorita!" she moaned, pulling a folded photo out of her pocket and staring forlornly at it.

"I'm sorry honey, but you know that your father couldn't be happier. He's been training to become a gym leader for years."

Lia only turned away from her mother, pretending not to hear, but she didn't complain for the rest of the trip. She only complained to her mother anyway – she knew that her father would be sad to hear her now. If it was her father's dream come true, then let it be.

Eventually the rain lightened up, and fifteen minutes later the moving truck pulled into a sunny Littleroot Town. Lia jumped shakily out of the moving van and looked around. It was a quaint little village, the kind you would expect from a fairy tale. There were only a few small houses and a small, official-looking building on the town's south end.

Lia's mother poked her head out of their new house and said, "Lia, come on in and check out the house!"

The girl turned and said, "Sure…what's that building over there, anyway?"

Lia's mother squinted at the building, then said, "Oh, that's Professor Birch's lab! You remember him, don't you? He set us up with such a nice house so close to the gym. They have a couple kids – one's your age, so go introduce yourself after you get settled in."

Lia nodded and followed her mother inside. They took off their shoes and left them near the door, her tennis shoes looking odd against her mother's formal brown shoes. Lia looked up and began to survey the house.

The main room was large, and a couple of her father's Vigoroth were moving things around. There was a large oak table in front of the TV, and the sparkling white kitchen was already plugged in and ready to go.

Her mother smiled and said, "It was so nice of your father to lend us a couple pokemon to finish moving in! Speaking of him, he bought you a new clock for your room. Make sure you set it before you come back down."

Lia, however, was already halfway up the stairs, eager to see her new room.

The upstairs was very neat and smelled faintly of paint. Lia had fun sliding on the new wood flooring with her socks, looking through the rooms. There was a large room which she assumed belonged to her parents, as well as a large bathroom. The last room on the right hand side looked familiar enough to be hers.

She was elated to see that her room was completely finished. It still smelled like paint (yellow, apparently), so she opened the window. There was a tree just outside the window, which would be convenient for a quick escape. She giggled at a memory of her mother chasing her with a soapy frying pan after she knocked over a vase.

She was suddenly hit with a wave of homesickness. She already missed the salty breeze that blew through the big window, the sandy ground, and the constant cry of Wingull. She sighed heavily and proceeded to take the clock off the wall.

She sat down on her bed and set the clock, saying, "Well…my bed is just the way I left it. I still have my cherry rug… My computer, desk, and TV are all here, and my new GameCube is even installed… Maybe this move isn't so bad, after all. Daddy's happy, right?"

She finally held the Skitty clock in front of her and said, "There – it's ten o' clock AM in Lia's room!"

She put the clock back on its hook and jumped down the stairs, taking two at a time until she reached the bottom. Her mother was sitting at the table, chatting away with a woman while sewing a bag.

She finally noticed her daughter standing shyly at the foot of the stairs and said, "Oh, Lia! This is Mrs. Birch. She lives next door."

Lia walked over and shook the woman's hand, mumbling, "It's nice to meet you."

The woman smiled, "Well, look at you! You are so much taller than when I last saw your picture! You were this big." She laughed as she indicated a size with her fingers.

Lia's mother interrupted, "Here Lia, I finished sewing your bag. Now go next door and introduce yourself to the rest of the Birches."

She handed Lia a golden yellow bag that had P.A.C. on it in large, green letters, and a subscript that said 'Pokemon are cute'.

Lia's face lit up as she took it, saying, "You fixed my favorite bag? Thanks, mom!" She slid the bag over one shoulder and put the bag on the opposite side, making sure it was secure.

"Once you do that, you can go outside and explore the area a little." her mother continued. "And be careful not to hurt yourself – you know how you are with blood."

A flash of fear went across her eyes, imperceptible to anyone but her mother. She nodded stiffly and put back on a smile.

"Alright, I'm off to see the neighbors!" She waved goodbye and ran out the door eager to make some new friends in a new place.

Lia opened the door cautiously, wondering why nobody ever locked their doors around here. Sitting in front of a flashing TV was a young boy no older than nine, cheering, "Go Go Poke Rangers!"

Lia sighed – he was one of those kinds of kids. "Hey, is this the Birch house?" she inquired hopefully.

He nodded his head, stuffing more popcorn in his mouth. "Could you tell me who you are? Introduce yourself, perhaps?" she pressed, being a bit more insistent this time.

Without taking his eyes off the TV, he said, "My name's Trion Birch. Everyone calls me Ion, though. My big brother's upstairs, I think."

Lia started, "My name is…" but she trailed off, realizing the futility of recapturing his attention.

She walked up the stairs and came upon a fairly messy room, with clothes stuffed under the bed and magazines scattered across the floor. The room appeared to be deserted, save a lone pokeball sitting in the middle of the room.

"Well, you can tell a teenager lives here." Lia sighed as she stooped down to pick up the pokeball, hoping to clear a path to walk across.

As soon as she picked it up, a loud voice behind her said, "Hey! What are you doing?"

She spun around to face a boy her age with spiky white hair and golden yellow eyes. He was half a foot taller than her and wore a black and gray hoodie with black jeans and black tennis shoes. He wore a gray headband that did little to tame his hair, and it read 'Fire!' in red and gold letters.

He promptly snatched back his pokeball and said, "What are you, a pokemon thief?"

Lia held up her hands defensively and said, "N-no! You've got it all wrong. I just came here to introduce myself to the Birches."

He clipped his pokeball to his belt and studied her, finally saying, "You're right. You're much too scrawny be a pokemon thief of any kind."

Lia glared at him, but he simply held out his hand and said, "Ryurai Birch, more commonly known as Ryu. And you are?" She hesitantly took his hand and shook it, not sure if she wanted to know this boy or not.

"Lia Makura. Pleased to meet you, Ryu." she forced out.

He tilted his head slightly, eyes flashing in recognition. "Makura? As in, Norman Makura of the Petalburg gym? You're the kid of my dad's friend!"

When she merely shrugged, he added, "You know, you don't look like a trainer at all. Are you sure you're that gym leader's kid?"

Lia said nothing to the question and instead replied, "I don't have any pokemon yet. I was going to graduate, but we moved."

"Oh yeah, Dad told me about that…." He scratched the back of his head, thinking. "You want me to catch you one?" he finally asked.

Lia blinked in surprise – maybe her first impression of him had been wrong. He actually seemed very nice.

Suddenly he slapped his forehead, saying, "Oh, darn, that's right! I have to help out my dad. Some other time, okay?"

Lia, slightly crestfallen, just nodded as he ran down the stairs mumbling, "Crap, I'm late."

She decided that he would probably make a good friend after all as she walked down the stairs. Ion was still watching TV, now playing with a Poke Ranger action figure. Knowing he wouldn't notice her leave, Lia departed, and for his sake, locked the door.

"Well, now my day's free." Lia yawned, stretching. She was still tired from the long trip there.

Littleroot was a small town – Lia could see how the local kids would be bored. There wasn't much to do, so she decided to explore the tall grass just outside of town. Sure, it could be dangerous if she was small, but she could run fast and throw a stone fairly accurately.

The grass was pretty tall, rising all the way to her knees. A few Zigzagoon scampered here and there, but overall it was pretty quiet. Boring quickly, Lia found a tree and decided to take a quick nap.

Suddenly, an ear-shattering scream destroyed her reverie.

"Wh-what?" yelped Lia, shocked into consciousness.

The sun was much higher in the sky – she must have slept for a long time. She staggered to her feet, straining to hear anything besides the general buzz of the wilderness. Just when she decided she must have imagined it…

"HELP ME!!!"

The girl hesitated, remembering what her mother had said – _stay out of trouble_. But…she couldn't ignore it.

Lia sprinted down the dusty road, trying to trace the scream. When she finally reached the area, she saw a discarded bag on the ground, but no one to claim it.

Suddenly, she heard, "Help me!" once more.

A man crashed through the undergrowth nearby, being chased by a…Zigzagoon. A sweat drop formed on the back of Lia's head as she watched the man being chased in circles by a seemingly harmless pokemon.

He finally tripped and curled into a ball, yelling, "You there! Reach into my bag and release a pokemon. Use it to save me!"

The Zigzagoon snarled and he shrieked, curling tighter. Lia sighed at the scene and looked into the bag, seeing three pokeballs.

Taking out one by chance, she threw it and said, "Go!" The ball snapped open in a flash of white light, and a Torchic appeared before her. The Zigzagoon turned, and they faced each other silently.

Lia shouted, "Okay Torchic, scratch it!"

The Torchic, however, had other plans. It turned back and glared at Lia, then proceeded to yawn at its opponent, a little plume of smoke rising into the air.

Lia blinked and said, "What?" as the professor sobbed, "I'm doomed."

The Zigzagoon growled at the Torchic and proceeded to charge at it. At the last second, Torchic hopped out of the way and scratched the Zigzagoon down, pinning it with a claw. It then pecked at the pokemon's head until the poor thing was K.O.'ed.

Lia decided to recall the Torchic, staring perplexedly at the ball.

"It didn't listen?" she questioned. "I've…I've never seen a pokemon that did that."

"Some of them never listen, even after extensive training. This one's still quite young, however." replied the man, brushing off his lab coat.

"Anyway, thanks for saving me from near death!" he said excitedly, shaking Lia's hand as she laughed uneasily. "You must come on down to my lab. I believe we've never met."

They walked to the lab and entered the chrome metal environment, where strange machines flickered and made noise. "I'm Professor Birch, by the way." said the man, placing the remaining two pokeballs on the table absentmindedly.

Lia replied, "I'm Lia Makura."

The professor laughed, "Well I'll be. Little Lia-chan? Ah, it has been a long time since I saw you. You were maybe…five? No wonder I didn't recognize you."

He waved it off and added, "Well, back to the point – do you mind releasing that Torchic? She's due to be weighed and such…"

Lia nodded and released the Torchic and watched it walk away from them, finally sitting in a dark corner.

Birch sighed, "She has attitude issues, as you can see. I've given her to six different trainers, but they've all given her back. She's got a nasty disposition to bite, that one does."

"Oh…that's sad…" Lia mumbled, looking towards the little pokemon.

"I'll be happy to give you a different pokemon though." he added, gesturing to the two pokeballs on the table.

"Eh?" Lia yelped, staring at him in shock.

Professor Birch laughed, "Surprised, are you? Actually, your father asked me to give you a pokemon to keep around the house – a pet, if you will. Of course, you're free to go be a trainer, if you wish."

"My…my own pokemon…?" Lia repeated dumbly. And here she thought her father didn't care that she missed out on being a trainer!

A sudden wave of guilt came over Lia as she stared at the Torchic in the corner. Six trainers rejected her. No one wanted her. She might have to stay in this boring little town…forever.

Lia boldly proclaimed, "I want _that_ Torchic."

Both the professor and the Torchic gave the equivalent of a "What?!?"

Lia smiled and said, "If no one takes her, then she'll stay this way forever. I don't want her to end up that way."

Professor Birch shook his head in disbelief. "Honestly, she is just like Maria…" he mumbled under his breath.

He attempted to reason with the girl. "Lia, please be reasonable. It would take a fairly strict trainer to condition her to behave. She's just plain flippant. Here…"

He gestured to the first pokeball, which Lia now saw had a small strip of green tape on it. "That's a Treecko. He's a great pick – he's full of energy and loves to run around. He's very loyal and easy to train."

Birch then pointed to the other ball with blue tape on it. "And that one's a Mudkip. She's the sweetest thing – a little timid, sure, but she's very determined. She'd be a great pet as well as a battler."

Lia shook her head definitively. "I'm sure they're great Professor – someone's sure to take them! But that Torchic…her future is unsure. She's the one I'll take."

"Stubborn like Norman, too…" The professor sighed. Still, he was smiling. "If that's what you really want…fine. I'll let you have that Torchic. If she gives you too much trouble, feel free to exchange her."

Lia laughed, "Don't worry."

The professor went over to his computer and typed a few things in and scanned the pokeball. Once he peeled off the red tape, he picked up a digital camera. Without warning, he snapped a picture of Lia and uploaded it before she could complain.

When he was finished he handed her a shiny blue trainer's card and the pokeball. "Here Lia – she's all yours and you're a registered trainer now."

Lia grinned at her face on the trainer card – it wasn't that bad – and walked over to her Torchic. She knelt in front of it and said, "We're partners now, Torchic."

"Tor chic tor tor." _I'd rather die._

Lia, not surprised at the sour attitude, smiled and said, "Too bad. I own you now." Although she couldn't understand her, the pokemon dripped sarcasm.

"Tor." _Joy._

She picked up the pokemon and said, "I think I'll name you Kou!"

The Torchic gave her a pointedly disgusted look. "Chic tor…" _What a crappy name. Where did you get that one from?_

Lia narrowed her eyes and smiled evilly, whispering, "It's either that or Chicky."

Her expression changed immediately – to even more disgust. "Tor tor…" _Anything but that._

"Kou it is then!" Lia cheered, putting Kou on the ground. She walked out of the lab, her starter ambling grudgingly behind.

The professor sighed, "Maybe they were suited for each other after all… Oh, Lia!"

Lia turned around and said, "Yes?"

"Be sure to visit Ryu. He should be just above Oldale Town. I need him back over here."

"Will do! Let me get home first and get ready!" she shouted as she continued out the lab.

Lia quickly reached home, Kou in tow. She was now holding the pokemon in her arms, as she had tried several times to make a run for it.

"Mom?" she called, pushing open the door.

No one seemed to be home. There was a note lying on the shiny maple table – _Lia, I've gone out to do a little shopping with Mrs. Birch. She knows a really good store in Petalburg! We're taking a bus, but I still won't be home until eleven or so. Dinner's in the fridge. Love, Mom._

The girl frowned – now how was she supposed to leave?

Well, she would only be gone a day at most…

She set about gathering things for her journey. After locking the door, she set Kou down on the floor and let the Vigoroth watch her. Lia then stuffed her bag full of necessities.

"Sleeping bag for sure…a hairbrush, too… Oh, I'll need food…"

She guiltily opened the cupboard and swiped half of the canned food that required no cooking, as well as a can opener. After glancing at Kou, she also packed a couple cans of generic pokemon food.

"Clothes…the ones I have on now are fine, but let me pack a back up. I'll need a watch…" she mumbled.

While Lia flitted around nervously, Kou was busy poking around the house. She hopped onto a counter and studied a picture on it.

There were three people in it – Kou recognized Lia immediately. She was probably only three years old, clinging gleefully to her mother with cute, pigtailed sandy hair. But there were a few things that seemed off with the picture.

The first was Lia herself. While she was cheerful in the picture, there were dark bags under her eyes, as if she hadn't slept for days. Her fist was clutching her mother's shirt so tightly that her knuckles were white.

The next was with her parents. Her father, Norman, had straight black hair and gray eyes, while her mother, Maria had wavy, dark brown hair and brown eyes. Lia was in stark contrast to both, with sandy hair and sky blue eyes.

Suddenly, the picture was lifted from Kou's view. The Torchic looked up sharply to see Lia holding the picture carefully, as she finished her dinner from the fridge.

"Looking at my family, eh? Yeah, I don't look much like my parents. Mom says I take after her mom. Never seen a picture of her, though."

Lia studied the picture a little closer, then put it down with a frown.

"At any rate, we're done here. I left my mom a note, so we can get going."

Lia lugged the now heavy satchel over her shoulder, gasping in surprise. Wow, it was heavy. It would take a while to get used to. She then called to Kou and they left the house, locking the door behind them.

After ten or so minutes, they reached the edge of Littleroot. Lia took a hesitant look back at her house, wavering a little.

Then, with a determined look on her face, she said, "Well Kou, it's you and me. Let's take this world by storm!"

"Tor chic chic tor…" _Oh please, someone just shoot me now._

Lia nonetheless smiled at her and walked down the path towards Oldale Town.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You all know the drill. Review! I'll give you...Torchic-shaped cookies?


	3. Chapter 2: Of First Battles

I'm going about, re-vamping the chapters. I didn't like how she up and left, so I changed it a bit.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, nyoron...

------------------------------------

Lia woke up slowly, and then sat up blearily. She pulled her knees to her chest, despite the sleeping bag, and wondered where she was.

"Oh…right. I'm on a journey…" she mumbled, half asleep.

She hadn't gotten very far the day before. The professor had clearly lied when he said it would be a short trek. Her mother was most likely going to kill her when she got home.

"How does Dad make this trek twice a day in thirty minutes? He must be lying about that whole walking thing. He always did exaggerate in front of the media." she muttered, stretching slightly.

'But after last night, I'm surprised I even got this far.' she thought with a sigh.

In the span of three hours, Kou had managed to threaten a Poke Mart representative, cause general havoc among the wild pokemon of Rt. 101, and give Lia a very nasty scar with those sharp little claws.

She pulled off her makeshift bandage and looked disdainfully at the bright red scratch across her elbow. It was nothing, however, compared to the long, thin scar on her left bicep. It had been there for as long as she could remember, but it had never healed properly.

"I wonder where it came from…" she pondered as she rolled up her sleeping bag.

Finally packing everything up into her satchel, she heaved it across her shoulder and called, "Kou, we're leaving!"

The Torchic had taken to a nearby tree for the night's residence and now seemed content to stay there. She blew out a plume of smoke and remained motionless.

"Kou…now." she warned.

Kou simply rolled over and mumbled, "Tor or or." _Shut up, I'm sleeping._

Lia halfway closed her eyes, annoyed at her pokemon's tone. She held up the pokeball and said, "Walk with me or ride."

"Tor chic chi!" _I'm moving already, jeez!_

The Torchic jumped to the ground and followed Lia with unsteady steps, very characteristic of her species. Lia happened to think it was very cute, and she told Kou so, but the pokemon seemed mortified at this prospect and tried to correct her walking from then on.

Suddenly, a wild Wurmple cut across, or rather, wriggled across their path. It didn't seem to be in a very good mood, but Lia took the incentive anyway.

"Hey there little guy." she said, bending down and reaching out to touch it.

The Wurmple, however, seemed to have a disinclination to being touched, and promptly stabbed its stinger into her hand.

"AAH!!!" Lia yelped, clutching her hand. She squeezed it tightly, but already a bright drop of red blood was forming, growing until it dripped off her hand.

Normally, girls her age would start screaming their heads off, clutching the afflicted area as if they were going to die, but not Lia. She simply stayed on her knees, trying to compress the wound as she shook. It stopped bleeding soon after, which calmed her down.

She finally said, "Up for some exercise, Kou?"

The young Torchic appeared to be ready, as she ruffled her feathers and said, "Tor or ric tor." _It's about time. I was getting bored._

Lia started off by saying, "Since it's a Wurmple, the best thing to do would be-" but Kou ignored orders and attacked the Wurmple with her claws.

The Wurmple obviously wasn't stupid, and it turned its stingers towards her, leaving Kou to veer off course at the last minute. The Wurmple then shot a long, silky strand at Kou wrapping it around her feet and bringing her to the ground.

"Kou-" Lia began, but once again the Torchic feigned ignorance and viciously tore apart the String Shot with her beak.

Once she was on her feet again, she went for the bug pokemon with her claws, only to be stung or slashed when she came to close. Eventually the Wurmple scored a Critical Hit, knocking Kou to the ground. Kou sat up groggily, trying to blink the blood out of her eyes. The Wurmple came once more, but…

"Kou, no!" Lia grabbed her Torchic out of the way, leaving the attack to reopen her elbow wound.

Kou, however, took the sacrifice as pity, and sharply shrilled, "Chic or tor ric tor ic!" _I would have been fine by myself! Why did you interfere?_

Lia winced in pain as she sat up, deciding to make her speech hasty due the Wurmple's glares. "Look Kou, I don't know what you just said, but I can tell you don't like help, even though you need it. You can be as stubborn as you want, but I'm not about to stand around and watch you get hurt."

She stood up after she put Kou down, saying, "Use fire. That's its weakness."

Kou glare uneasily up at her trainer, not sure if she should feel guilty or doubtful. Whichever she choose, she none the less gathered her focus and drew in a sharp breath. When she excused, a flurry of bright embers flew from her mouth directly to the Wurmple, and K.O.'ed it more or less instantly.

Kou blinked in surprise at the attack's success, and was only brought out of shock when Lia scooped up Kou and cheered, "You did it! You beat it all by yourself and now you're stronger than ever."

"Tor chic or?" _Stronger? _Kou looked at her with a slight air of bewilderment.

Lia just smiled at her confused Torchic's face and said, "We make a good team after all. Now come on, let's get those wounds of yours fixed up! The Pokemon Center is just down the road."

She set Kou on her shoulder where the poor pokemon was left to cling for dear life, mumbling, "Tor chic or ic, tor CHIC or ic…" _I'm not going to fall, I'm NOT going to fall…_

The pair finally reached Oldale Town, a rustic little village with few people and even fewer houses. The place seemed to mainly survive on the steady stream of beginning trainers that seemed to flow through the area, but the spring rush was fading and the numbers had greatly dwindled.

Lia and Kou walked through the sliding doors of the Pokemon Center, one of the few things that seemed modern about the place.

"Hello?" Lia inquired. "Anyone here?"

"Yes, yes, I'm here. Sorry, I kind of dozed off…" came a voice from behind the counter.

The voice was soon connected to the not-so-chipper face of the Nurse Joy, who seemed rather tired and worn, just like everything else there. The place was filled with signs of its constant use by trainers, and as a result everything was deteriorating. She glanced sleepily at the injured Torchic, trying to connect the situation with what she was supposed to do.

She finally yawned, "Oh, you want your Torchic healed, right?"

Lia nodded slowly and handed Kou to her, trying to think of a different reason someone would bring their bloody pokemon to a hospital.

The nurse took the pokemon and set it on a table, sticking a suction cup with a wire attached to Kou's head. The wire led to a machine that was connected to the table, and the nurse pressed a few buttons on it. It made a faint, yet familiar 'Ding Ding Da-Da Ding!' tone, and Kou's injuries disappeared. Lia reached out for her pokemon, but she promptly hopped off the table and walked to the door.

"Your Torchic isn't very friendly, is it?" the Nurse Joy commented, trying to smooth her bed head hairstyle.

"No, not really." Lia said with a sigh. She really did like Kou, but she seemed to do nothing but shun her. "It makes me kind of feel like I'm not worth anything."

Nurse Joy opened and closed her mouth, not quite sure how to respond to the situation. All of the previous trainers had starters that completely adored then, and she usually had more trouble prying the pokemon away from the trainer just to heal them.

"Would you like me to wrap up your arm?" she finally said.

"Yes, please!" Lia laughed, holding out her slightly swollen left arm for the nurse to bandage it.

Once the injury was properly attended to, the young trainer made her way outside. "You're lucky Kou. A few seconds pass and you've completely healed." she commented.

'After all, a trainer couldn't use the healing table. Not only would they still be hurt, but they would look like a fool.' Lia thought with a giggle.

Kou seemed only mildly amused, responding, "Tor or…" _Whatever._

Suddenly, Lia slapped her hand to her forehead, saying, "That's right! Kou, let's go find Ryu. He should be up there somewhere."

She pointed vaguely towards a beaten dirt path that led north out of the town. Just beyond the road was a pleasant grassy ridge, and there was another, thicker ledge just above it. It, too, was overgrown, but it was much too far to see clearly from their distance.

They made their way towards the route, only to find that it was more or less a dead end. To the left was a dense forest, to the right was a small lake, and before them was the ridge that proved to be much higher than it had seemed. Lia frowned at the ridge, deciding to tackle that obstacle later.

Lia walked to the edge of the lake, standing on its rocky shore. She peered across, just barely making out land on the other side. Kou stood beside her, quiet for once as she stared across the expanse.

Lia picked up a rock and skipped it across, watching it dance out of her vision. There seemed to be nothing in the world but her and Kou at the moment.

"Think about it Kou. We'll be on the other side someday, looking back." She glanced down at the Torchic to find that she wasn't really paying attention.

Lia knelt down and held out her hand, saying, "Let's make a promise. When we're looking back, let's promise to be stronger. Much stronger."

Kou regarded the extended hand for a while, contemplating the prospect before her. Stronger. That always sounds good. With as much determination as a Torchic could have, she lifted a claw and grasped Lia's hand, precariously balancing on one foot. As quickly as possible, Kou withdrew her claw and set it on the ground.

"Tor chi or ric chi." she said dryly. _It doesn't mean I have to like you, though._

"'But I don't have to like you to do it', right? It's amazing how easily cynicism can be picked up, even in a different language." Lia laughed lightly, ruffling her Torchic's feathers. Kou gave her a death glare and preened herself indignantly.

Lia then regarded the problem of the ledge. It nearly came up to her chest, and there wasn't really a way around it. Lia sighed – despite her thin structure, she wasn't particularly strong or athletic, so scaling the wall would be a bit of an ordeal. She rolled up imaginary sleeves, then tried to scramble up. It didn't work, and Lia slid quickly down, now dusty and slightly scraped.

"Grr…" Lia growled, tackling the ledge once more. This time she managed to get a decent grip on the edge, and finally struggled enough to get herself up.

She panted and looked at her hands – they had a throbbing red crease all along them. Deciding to recall Kou rather than try to hoist her up, Lia continued along the grassy path. It wasn't long before she came across a familiar white-haired individual.

"Hey, Ryu!" she called, waving despite the fact that his back was to her.

He turned around and said, "Hey yourself. You finally got fixed up with a pokemon, huh?"

"Yep!" she smiled. She conveniently forgot to mention that Kou was like an anti-starter and refused to obey orders.

He considered her dirty clothes and numerous bandages and said, "You must have had it rough for a first day."

"Oh, this? This is nothing." she laughed uneasily, trying to downplay her sore body and slight headache.

He unclipped a pokeball from his waist, saying, "You wouldn't mind a pokemon battle, then, o unconquerable trainer?" He smirked slightly at her reaction.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." she replied swiftly. She pulled out her only pokeball and said, "Let's do it, Kou!" The Torchic appeared in a flash of light, and rocked on her feet, anticipating the battle.

Ryu observed Kou, taking in things about her appearance and such, but finally threw out his pokeball and said, "Alright Blaze, we're in it to win!" When the light faded, Lia stared, amazed at the pokemon that had just been released.

"Where in the world did you get a Cyndaquil?" she exclaimed.

The pokemon was indeed a Cyndaquil, sporting the typical dark navy back and a light yellow belly. The bright red spots on its back were glowing vividly, ready to burst into flames any second. "Cynda!" he growled threateningly.

"When your dad's a pokemon professor, a lot of rare pokemon tend to float your way. Right, Blaze?" he laughed.

"Quil lil lil." _Of course._

The girl frowned, suddenly and painfully reminded of what she had missed out on in Johto. She had wanted her starter from there, not here…

Lia finally proclaimed, "Doesn't matter, I'm going to beat you anyway! Kou, Scratch attack!"

The Torchic went in for the attack, and just managed to scratch Cyndaquil before it ducked down and tackled her right in the chest.

"Excellent Blaze, just like we practiced. Now, Quick Attack!" Ryu commanded.

Blaze ran quickly, dodging side to side as Kou tried to strike, until he finally closed in for the hit. It scored a critical, leaving Kou reeling into a wall. As the pokemon tried to gather her wits, Ryu issued another command.

"Smokescreen, followed up by Tackle!"

Lia stuttered but issued no clear command – it was her first real battle with Kou, after all. She could barely keep up with Ryu, much less react and try to counteract.

Meanwhile, Blaze coughed out a huge cloud of smoke, completely obscuring Kou's vision. The Torchic coughed and slashed randomly into the smoke, hoping to hit something. She finally connected with the edge of Blaze's foot as he tackled her, sending her back into the wall.

"Kou!" cried Lia.

"Now, finish her off with another Quick Attack." said Ryu calmly, clearly in control of the battle.

Blaze charged boldly for Kou, building up so much speed that he looked nothing more than a blur to Lia. She knew that if the attack landed, Kou would surely be K.O.'ed. The Cyndaquil closed in, but suddenly an idea came to Lia.

"Kou, jump!"

The Torchic had just enough orientation to obey, awkwardly jumping up and over the charging Cyndaquil. As a result, Blaze blasted into the wall, leaving a large dent where he had hit. He seemed too daze to listen to any of Ryu's shouts. The Torchic pulled herself together and stood up, slightly dazed as well.

Still, the tide of the battle had changed.

Lia saw her chance. "Alright Kou, scratch it off the field!" It seemed that her head was starting to clear.

Kou rushed in and cut up the immobilized pokemon with her claws until Blaze collapsed in a gasping heap. Ryu instantly ran to him, almost pushing Kou out of the way to reach him.

"Blaze, Blaze! Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

"…Quil…" _Yeah._

Ryu breathed a sigh of relief and sprayed a potion over his pokemon. After he picked him up, Ryu offered Lia a hand in congratulations.

"Great job. You won. A little unfairly, but…" He chuckled, "A good trainer always takes their surroundings into account."

Lia grinned widely and shook his hand, saying, "It was a great battle." Kou cleared her throat loudly, causing Lia to turn around and say, "You were awesome, Kou."

"Chic tor or ric ric." _Of course I was. Did you really expect me to lose?_

Lia picked up her Torchic and petted her, cooing, "Aw, did little Kou-chan feel left out?" Kou flattened her feathers, cringing from Lia's tone and actions.

Ryu slung his backpack over his shoulder and said, "I'm going back to the lab now. You want to come with me? He might give you some free pokeballs and stuff."

Lia laughed, "If it's free, count me in!"

The teens navigated the ledge and set out for Littleroot in the blazing midday sun, unknowingly starting out a rivalry that would last a lifetime.

---------------------------------------------

Whew, that's a lot of work. I hope you like the new version! Please review.


	4. Chapter 3: Of Poochyena and Ralts

This chapter's updated as well. I decided to add in a little more interaction with her parents. Actually, that's a part that I feel is lacking in most journey fics...

Disclaimer: I own Lia-chan, and nothing more...

---------------------------------------

When Lia and Ryu arrived back at the lab, Lia made it a point to illustrate her most recent battle to the professor. The professor seemed highly amused that a two-day-old trainer could beat his son, who had had his Cyndaquil for nearly three years.

"Ahahaha! So you really beat Ryu with that dysfunctional Torchic? Bwahahaha!" he laughed loudly, slamming his hand onto the chrome table rapidly.

Ryu's face flushed slightly as he mumbled, "It was a fluke."

"Didn't seem like it to me." laughed Lia while holding Kou, who was still grumbling about being called dysfunctional.

Professor Birch finally contained his laughter, and walked over to a shelf behind him, taking a few things off of it. He made his way back to them and placed a red electronic device in Lia's free hand. She blinked at it with confusion, so Ryu sighed and explained.

"It's called a Pokedex. It records data of every pokemon you've seen and lists it here. See?" He pointed to the screen, which was currently displaying a rather cute picture of a Torchic.

Prof. Birch added, "It's been many a professor's dream to collect data on all the pokemon that have ever existed. A dream that's never been fulfilled, sadly. We give them out to everyone we can to help the dream along."

"I'll help you, I promise!" Lia said determinedly. She had a compassionate nature, and if she could help someone, she would.

Ryu sighed and said, "And how do you propose to do that if you don't have a single pokeball?"

She unclenched her fist and said, "Oh, right…" She seemed so downhearted that Ryu laughed.

"If you feel so strongly about that, then the least I can do for you is this." he said, placing something in her hand.

Lia looked with wide eyes at the five quarter-sized pokeballs in her palm, disbelieving. "You're giving them to me for free? Th-thank you so much!"

"Yeah, yeah, I get the point already." He chuckled slightly at her innocent, care-free nature, but trailed off when he began to think too deeply about it. How long would a girl like her last in the wild? She did, after all, plan to travel the world. His face slowly took on a perturbed frown, at which Lia shook his hoodie sleeve slightly.

"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

Ryu shook off the expression and replaced it with a smile, "It's nothing, really. I was just thinking too deeply again."

Professor Birch scolded, "Ryu, thinking too hard will put gray hairs on your head. Don't want to end up like your old man, do you?" Lia immediately observed the crop of silver hairs on the man's head.

"Anyway Lia, you should be going if you plan on collecting this data for me. The best way to do this would probably be to gather all the badges. The first one's in Rustboro City. I trust you can make it there by yourself?"

Lia smiled nervously and said, "I think so."

The professor clapped his hands on her small shoulders and said, "Of course you can! You're Norman's daughter, after all. Say hi to him for me when you're in Petalburg, okay?"

He added softly, "Any child of his will do fine."

Lia vaguely recalled that her father and the professor had been childhood friends and had suffered through some hard times together. It was probably why the professor trusted her – because of her father.

Lia took one last look back at Ryu, who gave her a thumb's up, before walking out into the blinding brightness of the outside.

As soon as her eyes adjusted, she saw the form of her mother running over to her, finally flinging her arms around her daughter and crushing the unfortunate Torchic that happened to be squished between them.

"Lia! Oh my god, you're really alive!" she squealed, ignoring her squirming child.

"Aagh, Mom, stop it! You're crushing…Kou!" Lia protested, her words muffled.

When her mother finally pulled back, she noticed for the first time a very disgruntled Torchic in Lia's arms, her feathers sticking out at odd angles.

"Tor…" _Why you…_

"Hush, Kou." Lia whispered quietly, and then looked back up at her astonished mother. "Well, um, yeah, I've become a trainer. It's kind of hard to explain, but…" She held out Kou for her mother to see and said, "This is Kou, my Torchic."

Her mother took a step back, put her hands on her hips, and said, "Lia… Do you even have any idea of how much anxiety you caused me?! You think a note is enough to explain your disappearance for a day? God, the stress – there goes five years of my life!"

Lia smiled sheepishly. Even if her mother was chewing her out, she always did it in a humorous way.

She finally huffed, "You probably packed terribly, anyway. Come on, let's get back and get you properly prepared…"

"Eh? You're actually going to let me go?" the girl gasped.

"Why not? Every kid entertains the notion of being a great trainer at some point. Besides, might as well not waste all those years of schooling." Maria laughed.

The woman grabbed her daughter's hand and steered her home. The girl was suddenly struck with the idea that her mother was an incredibly strong woman. She remembered a conversation they had long ago…

---

_A younger Maria rocked a five-year-old Lia in her arms. The room was dark, the clock read three a.m., and the small girl had finally stopped crying._

"_Mama…I'm scared." she hiccupped._

"_You don't have to be, sweetheart. I'm here with you." she murmured soothingly, stroking the child's back._

_She laid her daughter back in bed, staring into the teary blue eyes._

"_Mama…were you glad that I was born?"she whispered, pulling the covers up over her nose._

_The woman looked surprised for a moment, then sat on the bed._

"_Lia…if you weren't around, both your father and I would be heartbroken. We want you to be with us forever…" _

---

She had almost forgotten that. At a time when she would be up screaming at all hours of the night, she believed that she made her parents angry. But after that, even though the nightmares continued, she wasn't as worried anymore…

They got into the house, which looked considerably homier than it had just the day before. There were little knick knacks from Johto all over the place, and it made Lia smile. Maria grabbed Lia's pack off her shoulder and rifled through it.

"Wow Lia, I'm impressed! You packed food and a sleeping bag and everything! You're smarter about it than I thought you would be." she exclaimed.

"Hey…" Lia mumbled.

"Still, you didn't even pack a first aid kit! And what about a Swiss army knife? Ugh, just leave it to me."

Lia nodded and sprawled on her belly on the shiny floor. Her legs swung back and forth idly as she adjusted to the wooden chill. She toyed with a couple of marbles she took off a shelf and started rolling them around. Kou, unable to resist, began chasing them aggressively. The girl giggled and began rolling marbles in all different direction.

Maria glanced back, watching her daughter sadly. Her only child, finally old enough to go out on her own. She didn't really want her to go. Norman said it was best, but…

…what if she saw blood? Lia was bad with that – she might even pass out. What if she had nightmares again? What if…what if…

She shook her head to clear it. True, she wouldn't be able to protect her daughter out there, but she had that Torchic to protect her. Sure, she was a little ornery, but she would be strong enough.

The woman sighed. She had to trust her daughter. Norman did, after all, and he was just as protective.

"Lia, what kind of shoes were you planning on bringing?" she asked suddenly.

She looked up from the marbles and said, "Eh? Um, just these, I suppose…"

"Ah, that won't do! Here, I'll give you these."

She took a small box out of the top cabinet and presented it to her daughter. Lia opened it curiously and gasped – it was a brand new pair of running shoes. They were blue and white, just like her current shoes, but much more complex and supportive.

"Wow Mom…thanks…" she whispered, taking it in.

"They were supposed to be your graduation gift from your dad and I. Sorry that we had to move so suddenly, sweetie."

Lia ran up and hugged her mother tightly. Maria smiled and smoothed her daughter's hair, whispering, "Put the shoes on, honey."

Once Lia had slipped on the shoes, her mother's voice trembled, "Oh Lia, just look at you, with your bag and shoes and pokemon…"

She suddenly became very interested with the ceiling, continuing, "I had once hoped that you might stay at home and not become a trainer, but looking at you now…"

"Mom, I…" Lia began, but her mother cut her off.

"No, I'm sure of it now. It's clear that you'll be good with pokemon – the way you played with your Torchic proves that. I want you to at least get a taste of what the world has to offer. I never had that chance and regret it."

Lia nodded slowly, trying to grasp the sadness of a mother when her child leaves home, but it was beyond her reach.

They walked together to the end of town, stopping at the weathered sign that read 'Now leaving Littleroot Town'. Her mother gave her one more hug, causing Kou to sigh exaggeratedly and roll her eyes.

"Remember Lia, you can always come home. If at any time you want to take a rest, your father will fly over there and bring you here before the day is over." she mumbled into her daughter's ear.

Lia smiled – it was probably true. She was finally released as her mother stepped back and rubbed her eyes with a weak laugh. She looked up and pulled a brave smile.

"Go get them, honey!"

Lia nodded and smiled back, saying "I love you Mom."

She then turned away with Kou following shortly behind, leaving Maria to wave at her retreating child's back as she walked out of her vision.

"Well Kou," sighed Lia as they walked through Oldale, now intent on heading west. "We're on our own now."

"Tor ric ric or." _Well, that's obvious._

Lia sighed again – her pokemon sure was callous. Maybe she was that way because she was taken from her own mother? It was a likely possibility.

Presently the two came upon a lone trainer, who was training his Zigzagoon faithfully. He was a bit younger than her but seemed to be a new trainer as well due to his bulky backpack and slight sunburn.

His head shot up, noticing the two, and he yelled, "Hey! You're a pokemon trainer! You can't say no to my challenge!"

Lia sweat-dropped and thought, 'This kid is a little brash…' Nevertheless, she nodded to her anxious Torchic, who was just itching to fight.

"Go Zigzagoon!" he yelled, calling the pokemon at his side. The white and brown raccoon bounded out into the open field to face Kou.

"Kou, Scratch attack!" Lia commanded.

Kou, however, opened her mouth and released a small flurry of embers at the Zigzagoon, leaving Lia to nearly face-fault at her pokemon's disobedience. The ember attack went over well, however, and the Zigzagoon staggered under its raw burns.

"Zigzagoon, tackle it!" yelled the junior trainer, seemingly oblivious to his pokemon's wounds.

The Zigzagoon shook its head side to side and charged for Kou, actually making contact and sent Kou flying back. The Torchic righted itself in midair and landed on her feet, ready for another round.

"Alright Kou, will you use Scratch this time?" Lia pleaded, knowing how full well how pathetic she sounded.

The junior trainer laughed, "If your pokemon doesn't even listen, then you can't-" but he was suddenly cut off by a screech from his Zigzagoon. Apparently, Kou had listened, and had K.O.'ed the unsuspecting Zigzagoon.

"Tor chic." _Pathetic._

Lia mumbled an apology to the agonizing junior trainer, and continued on her way. Kou was bragging, "Tor or ric chic ic…" _That Zigzagoon was nothing. I could…_ when suddenly they were cut off by a small gang of pokemon rushing across her path.

Upon closer inspection, it was a lone Poochyena being chased by a whole pack of its kind. Lia stumbled and fell backwards while Kou zipped after the pack, eager to see the action.

"Kou, wait up!" yelled Lia as she scrambled to her feet and gave chase.

When she finally reached them on the outskirts of Petalburg City, Kou was jumping up and down, trying to see over the ring of bristling Poochyena. Backed against a stone cliff was a very thin, young male Poochyena with a piece of meat held awkwardly in his small mouth. The Poochyena were barking angrily at him, their bright yellow eyes narrowed.

Lia shouted, "Hey, back off!" earning a few glares from the pack. They mumbled among themselves mutinously, and Lia got a feeling that she shouldn't have interfered from the way Kou was backing away slowly. Her Torchic eventually ducked behind Lia's legs, mumbling, "Chic ic or tor ic tor." _Better you than me._

Suddenly the pack leader, a rather large Poochyena with a scar over his forehead, howled. The young Poochyena dropped the meat and shot through the pack, breaking the ring and hiding behind Lia as well.

Kou hissed, "Tor chic ric!" _This is MY hiding place! Get your own!_

The Poochyena replied in a high, panicked voice, "Chen yen yena!" _Can't you help a pokemon in need? They want to kill me!_

Lia, however, was too occupied with the pack regarding them with a cold eye, deciding whether to charge or not. Their decision was obvious as soon as the leader howled again, so Lia picked up the two pokemon and ran for it.

Lia didn't know how far she had run, but the pack seemed tireless. Then, one by one, the pokemon stopped chasing in exhaustion, until only the pack leader was left. Lia too was ready to collapse, and her legs were beginning to buckle underneath her. The two pokemon she carried began to question why she would defend a pokemon she didn't know nor have any obligation to protect. The Poochyena thought she was very kind – Kou believed her trainer was just stupid.

With a final burst of strength, the alpha Poochyena lunged forward and lodged his teeth into Lia's calf. She let out a small scream, but kept running, shaking off the pokemon and bursting free from the forest.

She tumbled to the tiled ground of Petalburg City, but instantly sat up again, wary of any more attackers. Luckily, they had all stayed within the forest. Lia placed the pokemon at her side and examined her leg.

Four small punctures now had beads of blood forming. Her breathing grew shallow for a bit, but she inhaled sharply and wiped it off with her hand. It stopped bleeding, thankfully, so she was alright to bandage it up. Geez, running into blood already – she must be unlucky.

"Well," Lia gasped, falling onto her back, "I think it's safe to say that you shouldn't go back there."

She turned to the Poochyena, who bowed humbly. "Chen yen yena yen chen." _I am in your debt._

Lia managed to sit up again and said, "Ah, well, I don't think very far ahead, usually. Maybe I'm just dumb."

She laughed a little until Kou muttered, "Tor chic or chic." _Hell yeah you are._

"Shut it Kou." she snapped. She turned back to the Poochyena with a smile and asked, "So how about you come with me? Better than facing that forest again, don't you think?"

The Poochyena smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. Finally, he was free from the trials of the forest. After all, he had often wished he had been born into the comfortable life of a trained pokemon. He bowed his head and disappeared with a red flash into one of Lia's pokeballs.

"From now on, you'll be Shadow the Poochyena." she said with a smile. "Unoriginal, but…"

Kou rolled her eyes and whispered something inaudible, but it resulted in her being recalled as well. "And you, Kou, should take a rest, from walking and your snide remarks."

Lia suddenly caught sight of Petalburg Gym, and it occurred to her that she should visit her father. She flung open the gym doors and called, "Dad! Are you here?"

Norman turned around quickly, his amber eyes widening at the sight of his daughter. "Lia? What are you doing here?"

She ran over to him and gave him a big hug. When she pulled back, she showed him the two pokeballs she had.

"I'm a pokemon trainer now!" she said excitedly, knowing how proud he would be that she had chosen to follow in his footsteps.

And indeed, Norman's face broke into a wide grin as he said, "Taking after your old man, eh? That's great! Birch got to you already, eh?"

He ruffled his daughter's hair affectionately, smiling down at her. He had debated for a long time on whether or not to have Birch set her up with a pokemon, but he was sure he made the right choice.

"How are your pokemon, by the way?" he asked.

"Well, Kou – oh, she's my Torchic – she's a little flippant, but it's nothing I can't handle. But Shadow, my Poochyena, he's so polite!"

"Eh, tough pokemon are good for you. Oh…"

Norman suddenly turned to the boy beside him and said, "How rude of me. Wally, this is Lia, my daughter. Lia, this is Wally, the son of one of my old friends."

Lia glanced over immediately. The boy next to Norman shuffled his feet nervously, keeping his bright golden-orange eyes glued to the ground. He had unruly green hair that shadowed his face, and his seemed very frail and sickly.

"'Lo." he said quietly.

Norman addressed Lia directly, saying, "I was wondering if you could help him catch a pokemon before he leaves for Verdanturf Town. I would do it myself, but I've got a battle scheduled in half an hour and…"

"Don't worry Dad!" She grabbed Wally's hand and said, "C'mon Wally, let's go catch you a pokemon."

Lia walked out the door with a slight limp, leaving Wally to scurry after her. The two reached the end of Petalburg City, finding a quiet meadow near a lake. Lia quickly looked left and right – no Poochyena with scars. Good.

"I…I should find pokemon here, right?" Wally stuttered. Lia gave him a thumb's up, signaling him to go for it. After a few minutes of searching, he stumbled and fell over a small green and white pokemon.

"Ralts!" it chirped in alarm, yet unable to move, as it was crushed by Wally. He quickly rolled off of it, but it was too stunned to go anywhere.

"Quick, Wally – throw a pokeball!" Lia urged, leaving Wally to fumble with the red and white ball in his hand.

He finally threw it at the pokemon, and the Ralts disappeared in a flash of light. The ball shook violently, but it eventually stopped moving and made a soft ping.

Wally walked hesitantly over to the ball and squatted near it. He poked it a few times fearfully, as if the pokemon would pop out and bite him. He finally picked it up, a small grin coming to his face.

"I…I caught one. I really have a pokemon…" Wally said softly. He then turned to Lia and bowed. "Thank you Lia. Without your help, I don't think I would have built up the courage to come out here. Let's go back to the gym now."

This is exactly what they did, and Norman applauded their efforts. "Great job you two. Wally, I suppose you have to meet your aunt and go to Verdanturf now."

Wally nodded and smiled at them and walked out the door, giving another smile and wave to Lia.

Norman then turned to Lia and said, "Lia…don't think I didn't notice. Where did you get that limp from?"

Lia laughed uneasily and fumbled for a lie. "Well, there was a tree root and I fell. I ended up scratching my leg on some branches too…"

"Eh, you've always been clumsy Lia. Remember the time you bruised your forehead by running into the door?" Norman laughed, tapping her in the forehead.

Lia blushed and whined, "Daddy…don't tease me."

"Alright, alright, I won't." he laughed. He sighed and took on a serious look.

"Well Lia, now that you're battling the league, it's inevitable that we'll battle. But!" He patted her head teasingly and grinned. "I'm the fifth gym leader, so you've got a way to go."

Lia pouted and replied, "Alright, but when I come, you better not patronize me."

He straightened up and frowned. "Of course I won't. If you come to me with four badges, I'll give you total respect. It will be an all out battle."

Lia grinned devilishly and said, "I won't hold back either."

Norman thumped her on the back and said, "Hey! Don't get cocky now."

As Lia coughed, Norman's face took on a gentler look. "Hey, Lia, if you ever want to come home –"

"I know, I know, Mom already gave me the whole speech. I'll be fine, all right?"

Norman smiled and shook his head. "I know you will. Well, it's getting late. You gonna stay at the Pokemon Center, or should I take you home so we can eat dinner together? I'll bring you back first thing tomorrow morning."

Lia said, "Dad! You have a battle and I have a journey. Let's both get a move on!"

"Right, right, just kidding. Go on, get."

Lia giggled and gave her father one more hug before dashing out of the gym. As soon as she got out into the cool air, she glanced from the Pokemon Center to the nearby route.

"Well, I have a little time until nightfall…"

-------------------------------------------

There it is. I tried to make the parent-child interactions realistic, but I don't have much to go on... As always, please review.


	5. Chapter 4: Of Aqua and Petalburg Woods

Updated. I tried to fix the pacing in this one, but it's mostly untouched.

Disclaimer: I own my assortment of weird Nurse Joys, but not their concept. And certainly not Pokemon.

-------------------------------

Lia sat in the Pokemon Center late that night, holding out her leg at an angle so the Nurse Joy could examine it. It had been hurting her all day, making her limp and such, so she wanted it looked at professionally. The nurse scanned over it vaguely and made a few notes on the clipboard.

"Well honey, this here leg ain't infected or nothing. It's just needs time to rest, ya hear? Ya'll can stay here if ya'll want." she drawled with a thick southern accent.

"Okay…" Lia said uncertainly, hoping she understood the Nurse Joy correctly.

"Tor ic ric ric." Kou said dryly, commenting, _I didn't understand a word she said._

"Chen pooch pooch chen." replied Shadow. _Maybe she's from the southern Sevii Islands._

Lia sat on a semi-comfortable cushion and tried to ignore the din of the other trainers as she set out food dishes for her pokemon. The servings weren't much – just an Oran and a Pecha berry each that Lia had picked beside the road earlier. She set down Kou's dish first and sweat-dropped as the small fire bird tore apart the meal viciously.

"What, do you have a Napoleon complex or something?" she asked the small bird, receiving a glare in return from the irked bird as she set down Shadow's dish.

Lia continued, "Anyway, today still was a good day. I caught Shadow in the morning and Faelia just a couple of hours ago! Speaking of her, I should let her out."

Lia took out one of her precious few pokeballs and released the pokemon inside. It revealed itself to be a Zigzagoon, small in stature with large brown eyes.

Lia smiled – she had searched for several hours in near darkness, hoping to come across something. When she finally found Faelia, she was just staring into the distance, absolutely silent… Shadow had assisted her in the capture, which was easier than expected.

"Zag!" Faelia barked happily, wagging her bottle-brush tail.

Lia petted the raccoon's head and said, "Hey Fae, how are you doing? You hungry?"

The Zigzagoon replied in the affirmative, so Lia set down the dish. Faelia and Shadow ate slowly and peacefully, enjoying time with their trainer as pokemon stereotypically should. Kou, however, had finished her food and was now lazily scratching at the upholstery of the chairs. After Lia pried one of Kou's claws from the threads, she decided it was time that they all got some sleep.

For anyone who wants to know, a Pokemon Center is not the place you want to be after dark, especially in cities and towns so close to the professor's lab. Sure, it might be a lot safer than outside, but it's crammed with annoying rookie trainers who think their Zigzagoon are so much cooler than others. It was in such a P.C. that Lia was crammed in now, just barely squeezing her sleeping bag and traveling pack into a corner of the lobby.

Kou was curled inside the P.A.C. bag, and Faelia and Shadow decided to curl beside their trainer. Lia put her hands behind her head and slowly nodded off despite the dull roar of ignorance around her.

--- --- ---

'_I'm dreaming again, aren't I?' thought Lia as she drifted along in an ink black chasm. _

_She was falling, spiraling slightly as she fell headfirst, approaching a small blue dot below her. As soon as she reached out to touch it, it expanded into a wide, clear blue sky with the vast ocean beneath her. _

_She skimmed just above the water, parting it into little walls of water beside her. 'This feels…familiar…' thought Lia faintly. _

_Her body seemed to be racing, hurdling towards something urgently. She suddenly came upon a decimated, decrypt tower with miniscule green-clothed figures swarming about it. She was so far above it that it was difficult to see anything._

_Her eyes widened, her mind trying desperately to remember what it was about this scene that made her heart stir._

_As soon as she was sure her mind had recovered it, something in her heart burned it away with a hot, green flame. She clutched at her shirt, her blanking memory wishing the pain away, but the ink-black darkness enveloped her again._

_This time, there was no blue to save her, only a flying green dragon that blurred with distance…_

--- --- ---

"Wait!" said Lia suddenly, sitting up sharply.

Once she rubbed her sleep-heavy eyes, she took a look around. The solid Pokemon Center – that was good. The sleeping rookie trainers – not so good, but better than the pitch black abyss she had just experience. She stared at the ceiling, her dream quickly fading.

'Have I had a dream like this before? I think I have…' she thought.

She faintly recalled running to her parents' room in terror while she was young, telling them that they had to find the green dragon and save the broken tower. However, the vision had always been completely forgotten in the morning, and her parents just dismissed it as a child's nightmare. And it seemed that she had had these dreams even before her parents, but that wasn't possible…was it? She couldn't seem to remember anything before she was three…but that was normal, right?

As Lia was over-analyzing her faulty memory, Faelia woke up. The little raccoon shook her head wearily, her short ears sent flapping.

"Zig zig zag…oon?" _Why you wake so early, Li-chan?_

In the early morning hours, the little pokemon had forgotten her grammar, and Lia couldn't blame her. In fact, she was busy squeezing the life out of Faelia for talking so cutely. She didn't know the nickname she had been bestowed, but her Zigzagoon's voice inflection was enough to get the idea.

"Uwah! Faelia, you're so cute!!!" she said with a squeal. She set the small pokemon down and said, "But nothing's wrong here – go back to sleep."

Faelia, unable to keep her eyes open anyway, fell back into a light doze. Lia too leaned back and tried to forget. But what as it she was trying to forget? She couldn't remember…

By the morning, they all were completely rested and restored, so they took off, Lia's dream completely forgotten.

--- --- ---

"Hmm…" said Lia thoughtfully, looking around. Kou rested at her side, drawing idly in the sand with a claw, and her other two pokemon rested in their pokeballs.

"Dad said that Mr. Briney lived out here. Where could his house be?" She stood on the beach along the way to the Petalburg Woods, a dark and twisting path through and even darker forest. They say that nothing good had ever come out of it, and it was where the secret (or not so secret) cult of the Bug Catchers had been formed.

Kou however, decided to peck Lia's already sore leg, and while she winced and whined over it, the fire chick said, "Or ric tor chic." _His house is right over there, smart one._

Indeed, a well-built looking house stood just at the far end of the beach, near a small dock with a boat tied to it. Lia stopped rubbing her calf and looked up, smiling at Kou. "Good work Kou. You'd make a great scout."

The Torchic looked away and sighed a tiny flame, mumbling, "Ic ic tor ric." _How can I become stronger if you can't even find your way across a beach? _Her words were less chiding and more grumbling, and Lia took it as such.

When the two reached the place, the door was left wide open, slightly falling off of its hinges. Inside, there were obvious signs of a scuffle, and deep set boot prints left muddy tracks out the door and towards the woods.

"What happened here?" said Lia with a tinge of worry in her voice.

"Chic tor ic or." _Obviously it was attacked. Are you blind or something?_

Lia sighed, knowing that her Torchic was being painfully blunt again. "It was a rhetorical question, Kou." The Torchic stared inquisitively, as if to say 'What's that?', but Lia dismissed it and said, "Let's just keep going."

They walked out the door, and Lia glanced back to get one more look at the broken house. It was then that she noticed a small green and white pokemon on the roof, staring at them curiously.

"Ralts?" it said, sending Lia a weak psychic signal that sounded a bit like, 'Who are you?'

Lia flipped open her Pokedex for the first time in a while and looked it up…

Ping **Ralts, the feeling pokemon. This pokemon is extremely shy and will only appear near those with positive emotions.**

It was just at this time that Kou said rather loudly in pokemon language, _What's that freaky pokemon with red horns on its head? And where are its __eyes__? Doesn't it have any eyes?_

The Ralts squeaked in surprise and scuttled away. Lia sighed, "I don't believe we'll be seeing any Ralts for a long time now. C'mon Kou, let's go."

Raindrops began to fall quietly as they approached the forest, causing Kou to fluff her feathers noticeably every time. Lia picked up her pokemon and stuffed her in the bag, saying, "Is that alright for you, Kou?"

"Tor ic chic ic ic…" _Yes, I've always wanted to be stuffed here between your Pokedex and your hoodie…_

"Well, bear with it." replied Lia to the Torchic's muffled angry tone.

Once they were inside Petalburg Woods, the dense canopy of intertwining branches blocked out the rain, and it was safe for Kou to walk on the ground again.

They hadn't gone too far when they saw a strange sight. It seemed that a company executive or something was wandering around in the forest, suit and all. In his bag seemed to be an assortment of high-quality technology, probably for sea-faring.

The man suddenly looked up and grinned, glad to have found someone. "Hello! Have you seen a Shroomish? I heard that they lived somewhere around here…"

Lia sweat-dropped that a man like him would come into this dark forest just for a Shroomish, but her thoughts were cut short when a figure strode towards them, a flash of lightning at his back.

This stranger was dripping wet with a very angry expression on his face. He wore a blue and white striped bandana on his head, and he was wearing variations of blue, gray, and white on his pirate-like clothes.

"You stupid Devon researcher!" he hissed. "I was waiting out there in the rain to ambush you, but you had to sit here and chat with a little girl! Forget it! Just give me those Devon goods!"

The man clutched the bag closer to him and trembled noticeably. "Wah! Please don't take them! You…you'll protect me, won't you?" he said suddenly, addressing Lia.

"W-what?" squeaked Lia in alarm, not wanting to face the strangely dressed criminal.

The stranger looked at Lia darkly from under his slipping bandana, then chuckled, "What the hell. I don't mind beating up annoying brats every once and a while. Feel the power of Team Aqua!"

He tossed out a strange looking pokeball, it being blue and gray as opposed to red and white. The Poochyena that emerged was not particularly powerful or different, so Lia nodded to Kou at her side.

"Poochyena, Bite it!" called the Aqua, pleased at seeing his pokemon charge straight at the fire bird.

She hopped quickly out of the way, but not quick enough to avoid a few puncture marks and a few missing feathers. The Poochyena had a snide remark for Kou as he spit the feathers out, and he received an Ember in the face for it.

Lia took advantage of the temporarily blinded puppy and shouted, "Kou, Quick Attack!"

The Torchic rushed at the Poochyena, but it got up and held its ground, and Kou took quite a bit of damage just from bouncing off of him. And into a tree. That had to hurt.

"Kou!" Lia shouted, running towards her.

Just as she picked up her nearly unconscious pokemon, the Poochyena rammed into her from the side. Lia slammed against the tree, the splinters digging into her side as she slid down.

She opened her eyes slightly and saw the Poochyena charging towards her once more. The Devon executive had escaped in the chaos, and the Aqua was too busy smirking to notice anything. The Poochyena was closer now – Lia squeezed her eyes shut and prepared for impact…

But it never came. Lia and Kou snapped their eyes open when they heard a crackle of a branch and the howling of a Poochyena. Apparently, the puppy was being beaten with a floating, glowing blue stick, and the victim and his trainer were terrified.

"Let's get out of here!" he shrieked at his Poochyena, who heartily agreed and ran with him.

Once they were out of sight, the blue stick floated over to a figure standing just behind a tree, smirking contentedly. There was complete silence until Kou rasped, "Tor ric ric chic ic." _Suddenly, you just appeared to be evil, Ralts-freak._

The Ralts, having shown its true nature, simply shrugged and thought, _You both needed help, right?_

Kou struggled in Lia's arms, suddenly very angry at the Ralts for not showing up earlier. The wave of hate reached the Ralts, and it teleported away with a shudder. Kou, having exhausted herself from her outburst, slumped over in Lia's grasp and lay still, panting heavily.

Lia held her Torchic close to her with one arm and used the tree to put herself up. After the first few pained steps, she managed to break into a slight run, as the heavens suddenly dumped as much rain as it could hold on them.

They hadn't gone far when Lia stumbled, gasping for breath and clinging to a tree. Lia fell to the ground and leaned her back against the tree, still trying to catch her breath.

"I think this is far enough…how are you holding up Kou?" Lia finally managed.

The little fire bird sat quietly in Lia's lap, thinking of all that had happened. Lia was still protecting her. After all she had said and done, the trainer still wanted to stick with her. She owed Lia so much – and now, she decided, she wanted to pay back that debt someday.

The ends of her beak twitched up into a small smile as she sighed, "Tor or ic. Or chic ric?" _I'm fine. What about you?_

Lia blinked in surprise at her Torchic. No hatred. No malice. Not even a drop of sarcasm. Kou actually had a hint of care and worry in her voice. Normally, Lia would have squeezed her Torchic to death, but that would come later. For now, she just smiled at the sky and posed a question.

"Do you know what Kou means?"

The Torchic looked up at her, confused, so Lia explained, "It means phoenix. I named you that in the hope that one day you would be as strong as that…like a Ho-oh, even. I wanted to give you a chance to live up to that name, to I adopted you as my starter."

Kou blinked, mildly surprised. She was named after a phoenix, and now Lia wanted her to be like one? It was a tall order indeed – but Kou wouldn't have it any other way. She nodded and began to stare at the sky like Lia. Ralts, smiling serenely in a nearby tree, waved her arm, and a blue light surrounded Lia and Kou.

When they came to, they were standing at the edge of Petalburg Woods, looking very dazed. Ralts was standing in front of them, waiting calmly for the questions to begin.

After listening to them one by one, she answered, _I teleported you to the end. Yes, I did use Recover on you. No, I won't tell you why. And how I did?_

The Ralts smirked slightly. _That's my secret._

Lia set Kou on the ground and took out a pokeball, saying, "Well, Ralts, since you saved me and all…do you want to come with me and Kou? It's be fun, and there are lots of things to see."

Kou thought it was a stupid way to convince a pokemon, but the psychic pokemon brightened considerably with Lia's bright disposition.

_You're certainly happier than any other trainer I'm likely to meet. So sure, I'll come with you. But on two conditions – one, my name shall be Aurora, as it's always been. Second…I get to ride with Lia!_ She teleported herself into the trainer's arms and clung to her, intent on not letting go.

Lia blinked – well, that was easy. Almost too easy, really. It made her slightly uneasy… Still, she shook off the feeling and accepted Aurora into the family.

Lia walked away that day with much more knowledge than before, namely – one, Torchic can become extremely jealous of Ralts. Two, Ralts were disinclined to pokeballs. And three, Kou still hated the world, and just barely liked Lia.

But it was a start.

----------------------------------------

There it is! Please review!


	6. Chapter 5: Of Rather Hostile Marill

More revamps! I wrote this chapter, what, a year and a half ago? It's strange to think this story has been around so long.

Disclaimer: I. Do. Not. Own. Pokemon.

---------------------------------------------

A new day was just dawning, but Lia was already stuffing her face – how typical. The Pretty Petal Shop had graciously let the exhausted trainer and her pokemon stay there for the night. Now she was gulping down the berries that were placed in front of her with aplomb.

The eldest sister hesitantly asked, "Lia, aren't you eating a little…fast?"

Kou quickly snapped, "Tor ric ric ic!" _There's nothing wrong with eating fast! Leave her alone!_

Aurora, wry as ever, quickly replied, "Ra ral la." _You should be one to talk._ She noted the area around Kou – littered with berry fragments and seeds.

The Torchic snapped back at her, and soon the two were arguing once more. Shadow and Faelia sighed and ate their food peacefully, trying to ignore the debris that fell their way.

Lia sweat-dropped and said, "Guys, don't mess up the…" but her sentence was cut short when Kou let loose an Ember and set a plant ablaze.

For a while, everyone just stared at the merrily burning plant before everyone panicked and tried to put it out. Above all the chaos were the voices of Kou and Aurora, still bickering. By the time the fire was finally out, Lia was too tired to try to separate the two, so she simply recalled Kou.

"I really need to catch a water type…" she sighed.

The sisters immediately said, "Yes, you should go do that – right away. Go on now, we don't want to keep you…" They ushered her out of the shop quickly and closed the door behind her, leaving Lia a tad bewildered.

_Some goodbye that was…_thought Aurora with a pout.

"Well, I suppose it's what we get for nearly burning their shop down." said Lia. Her Ralts resumed its place on her shoulder, and the trainer continued towards Rustboro.

Before long, the way became shaded over and a bit like a marsh land. After a few hundred yards of this, Lia stopped and said, "Wait…did they say take a right towards Rustboro, or a left?"

_A left._ Aurora hummed, leaving Lia to nearly face-fault – they had gone right.

"Well, we're lost. Now what?" she sighed, looking towards the cloudy sky.

_Um, not get attacked by a tribe of wild Marill?_ suggested Aurora, pointing one of her pale hands towards a mass of blue just beyond the forest's edge.

Lia quickly glanced all around her and noticed that they had dallied too long – angry looking Marill surrounded them. They each had a bright feather of some sort tied to their heads, and two stripes of a sort of war paint underlined each eye.

"W-well, Marill aren't usually hostile, right?" Lia stuttered, keeping a hand close to the pokeballs at her waist.

"Ma mari ma." responded one of Marill. _You've heard wrong, human._

"Ra ri il?" _What should we do with them?_

"Arill?" _Blast them out?_

"Mar il ma arill." _Maybe we should take her food and throw 'em into the lake._

Aurora whispered mentally, _They definitely don't mean well…_

"Ma…ma marill il ra ri." _I…I think we should let them go._

The entire tribe, including Lia and Aurora, turned to stare a lone Marill who was nervously wringing her tail. She didn't wear any war paint, and the feather that she did have was a bit crumpled and rather gray.

"Ma…ma il ra ri arill ri…" she added. _I…I mean it's not like they've stolen anything or the like._

Lia prayed that the Marill would convince the tribe to let them go, but it soon became apparent that the little Marill wasn't respected at all. Presently the clan began to pester the small Pokemon, and they had all but forgotten about the trainer until…

"Ril! Arill ma mar." _Fine! Let the runt battle her then._

There were general murmurs of agreement among the pack as Aurora translated for Lia.

"You mean, all I have to do is battle and I'm free? That should be easy…right?" the trainer said hesitantly. The Ralts shrugged as the Marill stepped up to battle.

Lia detached a ball from her belt and said, "Okay Faelia, let's go!" The little Zigzagoon happily purred as she was released, glad to stretch her legs. The Marill shifted uneasily in place, leaving Faelia to attack first.

"Faelia, tackle!" Lia commanded.

The Pokemon obeyed, getting a good first hit on her opponent. The Marill, out of a reflex, sprayed a Water Gun, and did a significant amount of damage as well.

The battle continued like this for a while, considering that Tackles and Water Guns were the only offensive moves they knew. But after a little while, a strange red light began to glow in the Marill's eyes.

"Wha…what's that?" Lia said, startled.

She looked to her Pokedex for help, and it stated, **Marill's Special Ability: Huge Power. When Marill's HP is low, its attack doubles.**

As soon as the machine finished its definition, the Marill curled up into a tight ball and sped along the ground, scoring a well executed Rollout attack on Faelia. The little raccoon flew through the air and slumped onto the ground, unconscious. At the same time, the Marill also fell to the ground – dizzied, but not K.O.'ed.

"Faelia!" Lia rushed to her injured pokemon, shaking it frantically. "Faelia, please get up!" It was the first time any one of her pokemon had actually fainted, and she was beginning to panic.

In the meantime, the Marill were edging closer to the four, mumbling amongst themselves in their language. Neither Lia nor Aurora were paying enough attention to hear.

_Well, that was a total bust._

_The runt can't even fend off a weak human properly._

_I say we kick them out – the runt and the trainer both._

_Yeah!_

_While we're at it, let's throw them into the lake._

_Yes, the lake sounds good…_

Lia suddenly realized the menacing glares she was receiving, and she tried desperately to think about escape. But before the opportunity passed her by…

"Pokeball, go!" she called, throwing the ball at the weakened Marill. Everyone was stunned at the trainer's sudden action, and the tribe had hardly registered the fact when Lia picked up her Zigzagoon off the ground, grabbed the motionless pokeball, and ran for her life.

She had not gone far, pursued by the angry cries of the Marill, when she came to the broken off edge of a dock. Beyond it was a wide and sluggish river with a strong undercurrent, and even further in the distance was the skyline of Rustboro city.

Lia turned around to face the growling tribe, stepping back hesitantly from them. Her heel suddenly broke off the edge of the plank, and she glanced back in a panic, knowing she had come to the end of the dock. One of the Marill sucked in a deep breath and forcefully sprayed out a jet of water, enough to knock Lia off the dock and towards the water below. She had hardly gotten out a scream before it was cut off by a gurgle and the sound of rushing water.

--- --- ---

"Hey. Hey you! Are you okay?" called a distant voice.

Lia slightly opened her eyelids and began to cough violently, beginning to feel very waterlogged indeed. She glanced up to see the blurry pink-haired figure of a Nurse Joy, and then over to Aurora, Faelia, and the Marill's pokeball all spread out on the shore around her. The Nurse helped her to sit up, and she finally was stable enough to gather her things and numbly follow her to the P.C. in Rustboro City.

When Lia finally regained her right consciousness, she was startled to find herself lying on a couch, a blanket around her shoulders and her hair plastered to her face. She sat up sharply, relaxing when she saw that all five of her pokeballs were resting at her feet. Her frame began to shiver, causing her to pull her blanket tighter around her.

"This sucks…" she muttered, burying her face in her knees. "I just got dry from the rainstorm last night…"

She poked idly at the pile of pokeballs, selecting the one that contained her new Marill and releasing her. She was surprised to see the aqua mouse slump to the floor miserably. Her feather now was snapped in half and pitifully crumpled, no matter how many times she tried to straighten it.

Lia shifted uncomfortably. She thought she should say something, but what?

"Ah…Marill? I don't know if I can say that I helped you…but that's what I want to believe." Lia began, unsure of what to say to the pokemon she had basically 'kidnapped' from her tribe.

"Ril ma il…" _No, it's not your fault…_ The Marill looked slightly less dejected as she ripped off her feather and tossed it aside.

Lia reached out to pet her head, but pulled back when the pokemon flinched from her touch. The girl frowned – did she think she was going to hit her? She reached out her hand again, ignoring the twitch and petting her head softly.

The pokemon finally relaxed and didn't object when she was picked up. Lia held her with one arm as she rummaged around for her pokeball.

Lia smiled and said, "Well, I always think the best thing to do is to move on, eh Nepti? That'll be your name from now on – you know, like Neptune, god of the sea?"

Nepti tilled her head to the side, knowing nothing of Roman mythology, but obliged as she was recalled. Then Lia released Aurora and Kou and set out on exploring Rustboro City in a little more depth.

An hour later, Kou and Aurora were at it once again – one wonders where they found so much to fight over. Lia looked down at them as she walked, distractedly scolding them until she accidentally ran into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" she began, then paused as she looked up at the person.

It was a man, and he was quite tall – Lia hardly reached his shoulder. His hair was jet black and short, and his entire outfit matched with his black jacket, jeans, shirt, shoes, and sunglasses. The brightest and most noticeable thing on him was a bright emerald green pendant that he wore around his neck. It seemed as thin as paper, and it was encased in a thick glass cover.

The pendant mesmerized her. Green and gold specks of light reflected in her eyes. It was so…beautiful.

"Ah, what a pretty pendant… May I see it?" Lia mumbled, reaching for the pendant unconsciously.

Before the man could get in a word, the pendant glowed gold for a second under Lia's touch, causing the girl to pull her hand away in alarm.

Lia began to ask the man what made his pendant glow so brightly, but she was intimidated by his stare. He was looking at her carefully over his glasses, regarding her with cold, steel-colored eyes.

"No…wrong one." he finally said softly, pushing back up his glasses with his black gloved hands.

Suddenly a girl from across the street called, "Hey, we have to leave soon."

Lia glanced over at the woman and saw that she was no less strange – her hair was a bright icy blue and she had eerie crimson eyes. The man turned from Lia and crossed the street briskly, and they disappeared from Lia's sight.

The young trainer tried to shake the unnerving feeling, but it was difficult when her fingers were still burning from contact with the pendant. She looked at her hand – a curious hexagon shaped burn was fading, but the burn was no less intense. Her fingers felt like they were on fire. She whimpered and stuck her fingers in her mouth instinctively.

Her thoughts were quickly turned aside, however, when she suddenly noticed that Kou and Aurora had gone missing.

"Agh! Where could have those two gone off to?" she sighed, exasperated.

After yet another hour of searching, she found them being 'held captive' by a little girl outside the trainer's school. She was coaxing them to come inside the fence with food, but they were too wary to obey yet too enticed to leave.

"Kou! Aurora! There you are." exclaimed Lia, picking up her pokemon.

"Oh, they were your pokemon? I thought they were wild." laughed the little girl, and for the first time Lia got a good look at her.

She was clad in a typical school uniform, with her sandy blonde hair tied up in two ponytails. Her olive eyes were still fixated on Lia's pokemon until the three climbed over the fence to join her.

The girl picked up a nearby Mudkip and fed it the bit of food she had. The pokemon seemed a little bit chubby and clearly untrained, but very cute.

"I'm Allie, and this is Kipper. What's your name?" inquired the girl.

"It's Lia, and these two are Kou and Aurora." replied the older girl, indicating each pokemon in turn.

All around them were children aged five to fifteen, each set on passing the exam at their Trainer's School. Some already owned pokemon, some had just received them, and some of the younger ones still weren't allowed any.

Lia allowed herself to reminisce – she had loved school, despite the trouble she had with sleep. She had managed to do well, and wished she had graduated first…

"Onee-chan?" Allie inquired, leaning to the side and looking up at Lia.

Lia snapped out of her thoughts, surprised that the younger girl had so readily called her 'big sister'. It was kind of cute, really.

"Ah, sorry, I was just spacing out." Lia chuckled. "What grade are you in, Allie-chan?"

"Sixth year! I turned eleven this February. Lucky for me, Daddy was able to get permission for me to graduate early." she chirped, twirling a bit on her heels.

"Lucky! You must be almost done then." Lia replied.

"Yep! I only have a few things left to do before I pass my exam. One of those things is to observe a gym battle, but I haven't found any takers."

Lia didn't seem to get the hint, so Allie pressed, "So, have you challenged Roxanne yet?"

The trainer blinked at little at this, then scratched the back of her head, saying, "Well, no…would you like to watch me try?"

She wasn't sure if she was entirely ready, but…

Allie clapped her hands and bounced a little, saying, "Of course, of course! I'll go tell my teacher!"

--- --- ---

A few minutes later, the two girls were standing in front of the Rustboro Gym, beholding its imposing steel doors. The whole place seemed rather intimidating and official, and the inside was even worse – it was as if someone had taken apart a mountain and crudely reassembled it inside. There was a spotlight just ahead of them, encompassing the arena and the waiting Roxanne at the other side.

"You ready?" whispered Allie.

Lia gave a short nod, and then nervously strode into the spotlight.

-----------------------------------------------------------

What? You're saying I made Allie-chan cuter than she was before? You're just imagining things. As always, please review.


	7. Chapter 6: Of the First Gym Battle

I just noticed that this chapter is almost entirely the gym battle. I had fun giving Roxanne her uppity personality!

Disclaimer: You know, Nintendo could use people like me...but as long as they're in their right minds, I don't own Pokemon.

----------------------------------------

Roxanne smiled serenely at her new challenger, casually retying one of her childish ponytails. It was her fifth challenger today, and she was on a roll. All the young trainers today pick fire pokemon, and as a rock gym leader she had easily defeated them all. The few trainers that planned ahead enough were usually defeated by her powerful Nosepass.

"Welcome to the Rustboro City Gym. Have you come to challenge me for the Stone Badge?" she said, her voice dripping with false sweetness.

Lia frowned slightly, sensing the gym leader's contempt. Allie, however, was awed by Roxanne's cool aura. Now that Lia thought about it, Allie's hair was styled the same way as her idol's.

"Yes – my name is Lia, and I've come to earn the Stone Badge." replied Lia.

Roxanne smiled again, taking a pokeball out of her school satchel. "Okay then, it's all yours versus all mine. You can substitute anytime you want, but I can't. Let's begin!"

She lightly tossed the ball into the arena, and it burst open to reveal a Geodude. Lia nodded and threw in her bid, releasing Nepti.

Roxanne tilted her head slightly to the side, blinking. Her short moment of bewilderment ended quickly as she covered her mouth and laughed lightly. "Ah, a Marill – a decent choice, in all honesty. But it won't be enough, I'm afraid – Geodude, tackle!"

The rock pokemon flew at the small Marill, but due to its low speed, Nepti dodged it easily. She skidded a little in the soft sand that covered the gym floor, but the mouse quickly regained her balance.

"Alright Nepti, let's show them a real Tackle!" Lia commanded.

"Geodude, follow suit!" countered Roxanne.

Allie gasped in excitement as the two pokemon collided in mid-air with a sharp crack. However, the Geodude came out of it with only a few small scratches, while Nepti looked rather beat up from her collision with a boulder.

Roxanne smiled, polite as ever, and offered, "You see? It's useless to use normal attacks on a Geodude. And I bet your Marill is at too low a level to know a single water attack."

Lia gritted her teeth at Roxanne's subtle taunting, but then relaxed and shouted, "Then let's try this – Nepti, Rollout!"

The aqua mouse curled into a compact ball and sped along the ground, finally launching itself at the Geodude. The boulder pokemon haphazardly caught the Marill between its rough hands, stopping the attack and causing the mouse to squeak in pain.

Roxanne let a small smirk disrupt her serene expression, pleased with her Geodude's work. "See if you can throw that Marill into a wall!" she called, ready to finish the battle.

The pokemon was happy to comply and strongly hurled the small pokemon towards a large rock on the outskirts of the arena.

Lia stiffened, and in a panic yelled, "Nepti, try to use a water attack – anything!" She didn't know if Nepti was even at a high enough level, but…

The mouse righted itself in midair and inhaled sharply. Unbelievably, a force jet of water sprayed out and slammed into the Geodude. The critical hit shot the rock pokemon right out of the air, and it was K.O.'ed before Nepti even landed.

Allie clapped excitedly before quieting under Roxanne's glare. The school girl fidgeted under the leader's gaze and kept her eyes glued to the floor, even after Roxanne looked away.

The leader recalled her fainted Geodude and analyzed the situation with narrowed eyes. The battle had taken a turn in Lia's favor, but Roxanne wasn't through yet.

"Alright, here's another!" she called, tossing out another Geodude.

She knew that it probably wouldn't beat Lia's Marill, but it would at least wear it down enough to let Nosepass sweep the battle.

The Geodude that emerged was slightly larger and tougher looking than the previous one, while Nepti looked slightly winded and beat up.

Aurora hummed lightly from Lia's shoulder, _'Nepti looks a bit tired.'_

"I know." Lia said quietly, her brow furrowing.

'_Will you switch out?'_

"…Not yet." she replied, earning a chide remark of, "Tor." _Fool._ Kou may not have cared for her companion, but it would look bad for her if Lia lost.

"Nepti, start out with another Water Gun!" the young trainer commanded.

The Marill obliged, sending another stream of water out. This Geodude was slightly faster, and the attack merely glanced off of it, careening harmlessly off to the side.

Roxanne regained her previous cool demeanor and murmured, "Now that's more like it." She called out aloud, "Geodude, magnitude now!"

The pokemon nodded shortly and its eyes glowed white for a few seconds. Before Nepti could draw the breath for another water gun, the boulder pokemon slammed its fists into the ground, cracking the gym floor. The poor aqua mouse was tossed and bounced all over the place, and more than a few times crushed under flying debris. Allie and Lia too were affected by the attack and topped over unceremoniously. The gym leader, however, seemed to maintain perfect balance through it all.

Lia stumbled to her feet, falling a few more time before standing straight up. She stuttered out a shaky, almost incoherent command, "N-N-Nepti! G-get yours-self u-u-up s-somehow-w-w!" With that, the trainer fell over again and hit her head. "Ow…" she muttered, toes curling and hands cradling her head.

Nepti had managed to get the point somehow, and the next time she was thrown into the air, she blasted a Water Gun at the Geodude before crashing back down again. Before the rock pokemon could stop the attack, Nepti had gotten in two or three more clean hits. The Geodude fell to the ground, K.O.'ed, and the Marill lay weakly on the ground, too exhausted to rise.

"A double K.O., huh?" said Roxanne, recalling her fallen pokemon.

Lia did the same, saying softly to the Marill, "You fought well. What would your tribe think now?" Reattaching the ball to her belt, she waited quietly for Roxanne to call forth her final pokemon.

And call it she did. "Nosepass, finish this!" she exclaimed, her voice a bit high and nervous.

The compass pokemon came forth from a strange, organic-looking pokeball – one Lia recognized as a Heavy Ball from her childhood in Jhoto. And it seemed that such a pokeball was needed – when Nosepass hit the ground, a sharp vibration ran throughout the gym.

Lia looked at the pokemon carefully, then hesitantly took out her Pokedex. After quickly reading the data screen, she decided, "Steel type, eh… Kou, this is your battle!"

"Chic or." _Finally._ The small Torchic leapt from her trainer's side onto the battle field, slightly skidding in the scattered sand.

"Start with scratch!" Lia said, testing if physical attacks would be of any use.

They proved not to be – all of the claws on Kou's right foot broke to the quick, a few of them slightly bleeding.

Roxanne's perturbed features settled into an uneasy smirk – her Nosepass would win, right? "Nosepass, hit it with Rock Tomb!"

The compass concentrated, and before long, six rough boulders came up from the ground and hovered around the Torchic. Then, one by one, the zeroed in on the bird. She clumsily dodged two of them, but the last four crashed into her like freighter trains.

"Kou!" cried Lia worriedly – out of all her pokemon, her starter was the one she was the most attached to, despite the Torchic's contempt.

Roxanne visibly relaxed – it was okay now, she was to win. For a minute there, she had actually been worried. She absent-mindedly straightened one of her hair ribbons as she watched the fire chick struggle and rise.

Kou wasn't out of the battle – but she didn't look like she could take much more. The Nosepass loomed imposingly over her, waiting for its trainer's command to finish the battle.

Allie whimpered, "Poor Kou-chan looks exhausted…"

Lia racked her brain for another possibility…could she capitalize Nosepass's lack of speed? "Kou, quick attack!"

The fire bird took off running and circled the steel pokemon a few time, searching for an opening. Finally she rammed into the Nosepass's side, toppling it over. The Nosepass waved its stubby feet frantically – it was having problems getting up.

"Now Kou, blast it with Ember!" Lia called, her voice lighting up.

Embers gleamed in the bird's mouth for a few seconds before a torrent of small flames burst forth and engulfed the Nosepass, blasting it up into the air and back onto its feet.

Roxanne yelled, "Nosepass, shake it off! Use Take Down!"

The compass pokemon burst through the flames and charged towards the small fire bird, who was still holding out with the Ember.

Lia bit her bottom lip – if Nosepass's attack hit, Kou would be K.O.'ed for sure. Running out of options, she called, "Kou, scratch it one more time!"

The Torchic stopped her attack and charge to meet Nosepass halfway. At the last second, she jumped and forcefully slashed at the Nosepass with her uninjured left claw. The Ember attack had left Nosepass's steel exterior soft and vulnerable, so the physical attack cut deep.

The Nosepass emitted a metallic cry as it stumbled backwards into one of the arena boulders, then slumped to the ground in a faint.

Kou landed on her feet with dignity despite her bleeding and burned claws, and chirped, "Tor. Ric or." _Hmph. Weakling._

Roxanne blinked, numb with shock as she recalled her Nosepass. She had been beaten before, but it happened so rarely that each time seemed like a fresh wound to her pride. She begrudgingly withdrew a shiny silver badge from within her satchel and strode across the gym floor.

"Here. According to the League rules, the Stone Badge is yours." Roxanne grumbled, the serene smile absent from her face.

Lia grinned widely at she picked up the badge and held it out for Kou to see, saying, "See Kou? This is our first step to becoming masters."

The leader sighed, annoyed, and handed over a small, brownish disc in a CD case to Lia.

The trainer blinked and said, "What's this?"

Allie supplied, "Oh, it's a TM! You know, the things we use to teach pokemon new attacks. They absorb them into their heads! Isn't that funny?" She tapped her forehead and giggled.

"Huh, is that so. Which is it?" Lia inquired.

"Rock Tomb. Hits them with rocks, lowers their speed. Then again, it probably would be useless with your team…" Roxanne said with a pout.

Lia contemplated this, then turned to Allie and said, "She's right. Here, you take it."

"What? But I can't…"

"Consider it a graduation present. The next time I see you, we'll battle, okay?" Lia gave her characteristic undisciplined grin, and Kou rolled her eyes.

Allie nodded, holding the TM close to her heart. "You can count on it, Lia-onee-chan."

Lia smiled and addressed Roxanne, saying, "Great battle – it was exhilarating! Perhaps I'll see you later?"

Roxanne's stubborn glare was all she received, so Lia sweat-dropped and departed the gym. The door closed, leaving the gym in darkness.

After the trainer left, the leader smirked, "Fun, was it?"

"Roxanne?" called one of her students. "Are you alright over there?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Can you tell the principal over at the school that I'll be late for the first lecture?" she called back.

She flipped open a pink Pokenav and hit the speed dial "2". As the phone rang, she tapped her foot impatiently and irritably.

"I better warn that idiot about Lia." she murmured. "After all, she's coming his way…"

--- --- ---

Lia squinted at the bright light outside, then looked around to get her bearings. She had walked Allie back to the school before coming back this way to explore the city a little bit more.

Kou began to brag about her victory, and Aurora was about to give a snide reply, when suddenly Lia was ran into sharply from the left, sending her harshly to the pavement.

She caught a glimpse of a man with a blue bandana and heard someone yelling, "Stop! Thief!"

The same Devon employee Lia had met in the forest ran up to her, breathing harshly. "You! You're…that girl! You have to help me – another Aqua member has stolen the Goods!"

Lia sweat-dropped, "Again?" The man pleaded in a panic, nearly crying in desperation.

Her eyes focused in the direction the man had gone – a grassy meadow north of Rustboro with a large mountain behind it.

"Alright, I'll rescue them again. Ready Kou, Aurora?" she asked.

_Ready._

"Chic or chic." _Of course I am._

Lia smiled and took off, soon disappearing from the Devon worker's view into the grassy meadows beyond.

-----------------------------------------------------

As always, please review.


	8. Chapter 7: Of Saving Peeko

Mmm. even more revamp. I'm getting closer to my current style, it seems.

Disclaimer: If I owned Pokemon, would I bother writing fanfiction? Lia would have her own anime arc! But then they'd have to up the ratings...

-------------------------------------------

Lia slowed from her sprint to an unsure jog, glancing around nervously. It occurred to her for the first time that she was going alone after a criminal – one that could have been armed, at that.

"Chic. Tor or ic!" _It'll be easy. I'll just tear him up!_ claimed the overly enthusiastic Kou. She waved one of her short claws in the air vigorously to illustrate her point.

Lia opened her mouth to curb Kou's pride, but a sudden wail of anguish ran throughout the area.

"PEEKO!!! My darlin' Peeko…" cried an old man.

Though the man appeared to be quite old, he by no means seemed weak. He was still a good six feet tall, about half a foot taller than Lia. He wore faded slacks and a T-shirt that smelled of sea salt. He clenched his teeth and paced around the entrance to a large tunnel.

The tunnel itself was menacing just to look at. It continued as far as Lia could see to the east, and mist was floating out of the gaping, man-made doorway.

Lia, however, was more concerned with the old man. "Um…sir?" she asked hesitantly.

The man spun around, producing a fishing rod out of nowhere and stopping it inches from Lia's nose with a loud crack. The trainer emitted a short "Eep!" of surprise and tumbled over backwards, narrowly dodging her Torchic.

The elderly man relaxed a bit at seeing Lia's face and muttered, "Ah, 'tis just a lass."

He reattached the rod to his belt, much like a samurai's sword. He reached out his hand and helped Lia up. "Sorry 'bout that, lass. My name's Briney – Captain Briney, if you like."

"Uh, sorry for startling you…what's wrong? You were just screaming." said Lia, a bit shaky from the shock.

Briney's face fell, and he muttered darkly, "'Tis a shame, it is. Here I was, mindin' me own business, when this ugly fellow dressed like a pirate comes and steals my darlin' Peeko!"

He looked wistfully towards the tunnel, and Lia followed his gaze. Aurora whispered psychically, _They're in there. They can't escape._

Lia nodded shortly, then said to Briney, "Don't worry Mr. Briney. I'm after that guy too, and when I'm through with him, you'll get your Peeko back."

Briney nodded hesitantly – apparently he didn't think the young girl could take down a man that had managed to steal a pokemon from him, a sailor none the less. Still, Lia wandered through the entrance and into the misty tunnel.

The damp air raised goose bumps on Lia's bare arms, and she quickly rubbed her hands along them to keep warm. The interior of the cave was starkly different from the exterior, being a chalky green and slightly slippery. Kou was already fluffing from the moisture in the air, but even that was obscured by the thick fog. Lia attempted to wiggle her fingers at arm's length – she couldn't see them.

"It's kinda creepy in here…" she mumbled.

"Tor." _Chicken._ scoffed Kou. She suddenly blinked and considered her insult, thinking, _Wait a minute…_

Before Kou had adequate time to sort out her thoughts, a loud curse rang throughout the cave, dislodging a few stones from the ceiling.

"DAMN IT!!! Why is it that every time I try to make a clean getaway, something's always wrong? Now the tunnel's blocked…" came a voice from beyond the fog.

Lia quietly crept towards the voice, hiding behind various rocks as the mist slowly cleared. Eventually it was clear enough for her to see the Aqua grunt kicking the edge of what appeared to be a landslide completely obscuring the other side.

"Poochyena, try to knock this down!" the grunt growled, commanding his companion.

The small puppy nodded, and with a loud growl slammed himself into the rocks. Lia sweat-dropped – it had absolutely no effect. Still, the puppy continued, with the grunt growing increasingly annoyed. He suddenly whirled around, pointing angrily at a small Wingull in a rusty cage.

"You! This is your fault! If you hadn't screamed, that old guy wouldn't have noticed me stealing his boat, and I would've been in Slateport no problem! Aaggh…" he ended his rant with an angry moan, covering his face with his hands.

He took the Devon Goods out of the suitcase and stared at them, perplexed. "What would Archie want with a submarine anyway?"

Lia finally shook her head – she had been so busy watching that she forgot her mission. She pulled one of her pokeballs off her belt with a quick click, and expanding it, whispered, "Alright, Shadow, let's do this."

The flash of light that accompanied the Poochyena's release attracted the grunt's attention, and he shouted, "Who's there?"

Lia stepped out of the mist and into his range of vision commanding, "Shadow, retrieve the Devon Goods!"

Before the grunt had much time to react, the small puppy launched himself at him, but the grunt's Poochyena was fast enough to counter. Shadow was thrown to the ground, awkwardly landing on the left side of his face. He slid among the sharp rocks, leaving a small trail of blood.

"Shadow!" cried Lia. She made a move towards him, but Kou grabbed her sock and tugged her back, muttering, "Tor…or ic chic. Or tor chic." _He doesn't need your help. Let's see if he's worthy of this team._

Lia opened her mouth to retort, but once again she was interrupted, this time by the grunt's Poochyena attempting a Tackle. Shadow had staggered to his feet, his left eye closed tightly in pain. He managed to dodge and retaliated, landing a hit on the much larger dog.

The grunt had regained his senses and shouted, "Poochyena, tackle it again!"

Lia answered, "Shadow, counter!"

The puppy turned slightly to his left to get a better view of his opponent, then growled softly in preparation. The instant the larger dog made contact Shadow performed the Counter and slammed him onto his back.

The grunt shouted, "Poochyena, you're much larger than that blinded runt! Tackle it off of you!"

The pokemon complied and soon had Shadow on the floor again, taking advantage of his blind side. The puppy staggered about, unsure of where to look next as a flurry of attacks rained on his left side.

Lia grimaced – things were going downhill fast. She looked around for anything that might help, even if it was a bit unorthodox. Suddenly she noticed the fine dust that was falling from the ceiling with every loud noise.

Hoping for the best, she shouted, "Shadow, Roar!"

He opened his mouth and emitted the largest noise he was capable of (which wasn't really that impressive). Still, large chunks of rocks came crashing down from the ceiling onto everyone below.

Lia ran forward and threw her arms around Shadow, gathering Kou and Aurora into the huddle as they arrived. With the Ralts' psychic powers, the small group managed to avoid most of the debris.

The grunt and his Poochyena, however, weren't so lucky. The rocks buried them nearly completely, and when the dust cleared, they were hardly visible.

Lia peeked over her arms hesitantly, blinking against the suspended dust. She sneezed a couple times before getting up, still holding Shadow protectively in her arms. Kou kicked a rock off herself, muttering, "Tor chic or?" _What about us?_

The trainer stumbled over the unstable ground to the rusted cage that was half buried in the landslide. The Wingull inside was shaken but had no visible injuries.

"Good, it still looks okay." Lia mumbled. She turned to Aurora and said, "Do you think you can break this lock?"

The Ralts nodded, then focused her scarlet eyes on the battered lock. It glowed bright blue for awhile, then cracked in half quietly and crumbled to the floor.

Lia carefully opened the door and reached for the bird, but it flapped its wings nervously and squawked. She quieted it by speaking softly and finally managed to trap it between her hands. It had a small ribbon attached to its leg with the inscription 'Peeko'.

"You must be her, then." said Lia with a relieved sigh.

She turned to pick up Shadow, but he had wandered off and was digging in the dirt a few meters away. She stumbled over to him, saying, "Shadow, be careful – you might end up hurting yourself more…" She paused when the puppy triumphantly handed her the slightly damaged Devon Goods.

"Ah! Good boy, Shadow! Good…" Lia trailed off and set the goods down, holding onto Shadow's scruffy left ear and looking at him closely.

The Poochyena's eye was still sealed shut, and numerous scratches crisscrossed his muzzle. His left ear was looking a little worn too, but it was mostly Shadow's eye that worried Lia. She rummaged through her side bag and produced an old, blackish gray bandana, and with awkward movements, managed to get the thing around his head.

"There, that ought to do until we get to a Center…" she said.

Lia recalled Shadow, and after calling to Kou and Aurora, set out to return the Wingull to her trainer. She had barely taken two steps out of the misty tunnel when Briney ran up to her and took Peeko from her arms.

"Peeko darlin'! Aw, you're safe an' sound! How can I ever thank ye, lassie?" he exclaimed, shaking Lia's arm so hard that her whole body moved up and down.

"You-can-start-by-letting-go-!" she replied shakily.

"Oh, sorry 'bout that!" he said, releasing the trainer.

She continued, "Actually, I need to return these…"- she held up the Devon Goods -"…so could I get back to you on that?"

"Ah, of course ye can lassie! Captain Briney's always willin' to pay back a debt!" he said with a grin. Peeko, who was now perched on his shoulder, gave a chirp of reinforcement.

Lia nodded and walked towards Rustboro, where the nervous looking Devon executive was pacing at the city borders. He looked up the second Lia came into view, seeming absolutely ecstatic.

"You got the Devon Goods? Oh, you did! You've saved me twice in one day, you did!" he babbled excitedly, causing everyone in Lia's party to sweat-drop.

"Ahem, but I digress – I must reward you. First you must come with me to meet our President – he was asking for you ever since you saved me from Team Aqua. Second, take this." He pressed into her hand a shiny blue and white ball with red ridges – a Great Ball.

Lia protested, "Ah, this is a little expensive…", but Kou interrupted by pecking Lia's foot sharply. As she jumped up and down on one foot, wincing in pain, Kou muttered, "Tor or ic tor chic." _Idiot. Never turn down a gift, __especially__ if it's expensive._

The Devon exec. didn't seem to notice the spat and dragged Lia by her arm to the Devon Corp. Headquarters. The building itself was highly impressive – it was ten stories high (though only the first was accessible to the public) and it seemed much newer than most of the buildings in Rustboro.

Lia was pulled past a dizzying amount of people from secretaries to scientists, all wearing the same uniform. They finally came to the top floor, all but the executive worn out from the stairs.

"President Stone, I've brought the trainer I was telling you about!" he said excitedly.

Sitting in an impressive chair across the room was an older man with shocking silver hair and electric blue eyes. He seemed stern, but he suddenly smiled warmly.

"Ah, Lia, was it? Very pleased to meet you – I'm President Stone." He strode across the room and shook Lia's hand firmly – it felt like her hand was being crushed. He let go and asked, "Anything I can get for you? Food, water perhaps?"

Kou interrupted, "Tor. Tor or chic." _Food. Now, if you please._

Lia discreetly kicked Kou in the side, then replied, "Yeah, food would be cool."

The president nodded to the executive, who immediately scrambled out of the room to retrieve the promised food. The older man peered down at Lia over his thick glasses, deciding, "Well, Lia, you look like a dependable trainer."

"Uh…" she replied uneasily, her hand automatically brushing Shadow's pokeball. She still didn't know how badly he was hurt, and it was gnawing at the back of her mind.

The president seemed to be unaware of her unease and went back to his desk. After shifting paperwork here and there, he procured a small red device that could easily fit into the palm of his hand. He came back to Lia and handed it to her, saying, "Here. This shows my gratitude – I hope you find it useful."

"Eh…EH? A Pokenav?" Lia replied, loudly and incredulously. It was true that she had wanted one for her birthday six months ago, but it had been well out of her price range.

Kou's eyes gleamed dangerously, seeming ready to peck Lia again for refusing a gift, but the president intervened with, "Now, now, take it – don't be shy! It will function as a cell phone, condition scanner, and a DTD – defeated trainers database. Why don't you try it out?"

Lia clumsily opened it and switched it to 'Condition Scanner'. She held it over Kou, and after a short while, it pinged and showed scrawling data. The fire chick was indignant at being scanned, yet was a little curious to see where she stood.

The trainer studied it for a while, then said, "Kou, why is your 'Smart' condition a negative number?"

The bird gave her half a second to run before she torched her.

In the midst of the ensuing confusion, the hapless executive returned to receive a face full of embers, the food was spilled but saved by Aurora, and several important documents were burnt to ashes. Yet, at the end of it, the president was laughing – the only one in the room who was doing so.

"Excellent, excellent! I haven't had this much fun since my son was home. Alright now – let's eat!"

Lia ate in more or less mortified silence, glancing every once in a while at Kou, whose feathers were still very fluffed up in her anger. The starter was, predictably, savagely devouring her food, and Aurora, also predictably, was subtly harassing her. The Ralts glanced casually at Kou, made sure to catch her eye, and then, having achieved her goal, smirked to herself.

Kou jumped to her short feet and yelled, "Tor or ic or, ic tor!" _If you've got something to say, then say it!_

Lia sighed and dragged the bird to her, forcing her to sit silently in her lap for the rest of the meal.

The president began, "As I was saying Lia, you look like a dependable trainer. I actually have a favor to ask of you."

Lia sweat-dropped – was everything before just to butter her up? But it had worked at any rate, and she found herself saying, "What is it?"

The president beamed as if she had already accepted the deal. "Well, you see, I have a son that lives far away – I haven't seen him in months. Still, this letter came in the mail a few days ago, addressed to him."

He procured a small gray envelope with _Steven Stone_ written on it in blue ink. The strange thing about it was that it didn't have a postmark, stamp, return address, or even Steven's address to begin with – it was just his name.

"I haven't opened it, but it seems urgent, and I can't trust the Hoenn Mail Service – they're always stealing stuff out of the mail. Anyway, I heard he's in Dewford, and since you're next gym battle is there…" he trailed off.

Lia sighed, "You want me to deliver it."

"Yep, that – and these." he added, dumping the Devon Goods on top of the letter in her hands. "Those are for Slateport – good luck!"

The trainer's brow twitched in irritation, but it would be rude to refuse after all those gifts. After all, she did want to keep them…

"All right, I'm off to Dewford…" she muttered as the president clapped her on the shoulder enthusiastically.

"Excellent, excellent! Now Smith, I trust you can escort Lia out?" he inquired.

The executive, apparently named Smith, nodded and showed Lia out into the street. "Thanks again!" he quipped quickly before ducking back into the building.

Lia looked out into the street, shielding her eyes from the golden glare of a setting sun. Few people were out – most were inside with their families, eating dinner. Now that the trainer thought about it, she needed a real meal and a place to stay. The president's offer of bread and tea was hardly sustaining.

She pushed open the P.C.'s doors just as the street lights were turning on, and thankfully it was half empty. The first thing she did was to check in Shadow to the healing table, promising the whimpering puppy that it would be alright. Lia later pushed her way through a crowd of trainers and came up to the food counter.

"A sandwich, please." she asked, taking out the small pouch that was her money bag.

"30 P." replied the attendant, not even looking up from the book he was reading.

Lia carefully dumped a portion of her savings onto the counter and counted out the sum. She had to be very careful since she only had about 3000 P, and that wouldn't feed her for very long, much less her pokemon. The tiny, penny-sized gold coins flashed in the bright florescent lights, showing the engraved "P".

Scooping the correct amount into her hand, she said, "Here – 30 P."

The man took the money and put it in the register without counting it, then tossed the girl a bologna and cheese sandwich.

"Enjoy." he said, turning the page of his book.

Lia pushed her way back through the crowd, finally finding a quiet corner to sit and eat. She childishly dissected her sandwich – she had never liked bologna anyway. She released Nepti and Faelia, giving them the cheese and the bread, respectively. When Aurora and Kou clamored for food, she simply said, "Quiet. You ate at Devon Corp."

Kou complained, "Tor or chic! Or chic tor or?" _But you still have the bologna! Who is that, for, huh?_

Lia smiled widely at Kou's angry face and replied, "Oh, you want this meat, do you? Well, it's for Shadow-chan, so there."

Kou bristled into submission as Lia gave the meat to the nurse, instructing her to give the food to her Poochyena. Checking the clock, she said, "Well guys, I'm sleeping – you do what you want."

She selected a small, threadbare couch for her bed, and she curled up on it sideways, too cramped to stretch out her legs.

Aurora was the first to join her, draping herself over Lia's shoulder and sleeping there. Faelia was a close second curling herself into a ball near Lia's belly, yipping a quick good night to all. Nepti cautiously climbed up near Lia's feet, settling down quietly and deliberately. Kou took the longest to come, and for a while Lia believed she wouldn't come. Yet just as the trainer was drifting off, the Torchic climbed up and wriggled her way into Lia's arms, seeking the warmest spot.

Lia smiled slightly, then fell into an uneasy sleep, dreaming of a green dragon that pierced her heart with its gold coin gaze.

-----------------------------------------------------

As always, please review. I love my reviews!


	9. Chapter 8: Of Battle in the Rain

Almost done with the revamps...I think. I might go through another round in a year or so!

Disclaimer: I own Lia and Ryu. I love my little characters. But I don't own Pokemon.

------------------------------------------------

Lia's eyelids fluttered – she was vaguely aware of light, noise, and movement. She sat up slowly, much to the chagrin of her still sleeping pokemon.

She staggered to the window and pulled back the curtain. Rain was gently sprinkling and feeble sunlight penetrated the clouds. Lia made a face at the weather.

"Rain again. Ugh. Well, it is April, after all. It's April…April…" she trailed off and flipped open her Pokenav.

"Wednesday, April 12, 2006, 8:05 AM. So it's been, uh, five days since I left? Seems like an eternity…" she murmured to herself.

Aurora drifted up to her trainer's shoulder groggily, humming sleepily, _'The nurse is calling for you.'_

Just as the Ralts nestled herself on Lia, the girl turned quickly and went over to the Nurse Joy.

"How is he? Shadow, that is." she inquired, correcting her vague reference.

The nurse frowned slightly, saying, "You can see him now."

Lia's breath hitched in her chest – it couldn't be good, with that tone of voice.

She carefully pulled Aurora off her shoulder to spare her the negative feelings, but the Ralts wailed and clung as hard as she could. It took a good three minutes for Aurora to tire, and the exhausted pokemon was placed on the threadbare couch.

Lia was escorted down the back hallways of the P.C., all whitewashed and smelling faintly of bleach. All the trainers back here were silent, quietly cradling their pokemon or wringing their hands. She could faintly hear the hysterical sobs of a trainer in the far distance.

"Here." the nurse said, stopping abruptly.

The trainer hesitantly peered into a dim room with a small bed in it. Shadow was resting peacefully in the bed with a mass of thick bandages over his afflicted left eye. His small ears perked up at his trainer's approach, and he barked his delight.

Lia strode quickly to him, picking up the pokemon and hugging him tightly. She put him down and began to undo his bandages frantically.

"I…I have to see how it is. How bad it could be…" she muttered, throwing the discarded wraps to the ground.

The nurse's voice rose an octave, hastily warning, "Ma'am, I wouldn't do that! Miss, stop it now! He might be-!"

It was too late for warnings though. Lia froze, bandages bunched in both hands, staring with her mouth agape. Her arms dropped limply to her sides, dropping the wraps. Slowly falling to her knees, she tightly closed her fists and eyes, tears forming in the latter.

Shadow looked down at his trainer, confused, then back up at the nurse. It was clear, even at a distance, that his left eye was a milky blue.

"Blind." the nurse finished quietly. "Not completely, but it will take major adjustments on his part."

While the nurse continued to speak impassively about the necessary follow-up procedures, Lia looked up at Shadow, head tilted slightly to the side.

Dear god, she had blinded her own pokemon. She was supposed to protect him, to save him from the dangers that he would have faced in the wild. She had…she had…god. She couldn't even think straight at the moment.

Shadow barked softly, startling Lia. She hiccupped and wiped her eyes roughly with her arms. She couldn't cry in front of him. She had to be strong. After all, if she couldn't hold it together, how could he? She had to smile for his sake.

She had finished wiping away her tears and now proceeded to stand up. Her knees shook slightly, but she forced a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Hey boy, it'll be alright! It'll be…be…fine!" she forced out.

She pulled the previous bandana out of her pocket and tied it around his head, carefully securing it diagonally so the puppy could still easily see out of his right eye. Shadow tilted his head left and right, trying to get a good view of Lia.

The trainer took the puppy into her arms and nuzzled his neck lightly, whispering, "It'll be fine."

The Joy was still chattering on, so Lia just took the eye drops from the nurse and said wryly, "Thanks, I think I get it now."

Lia recalled Shadow and slipped the eye drops into her pocket as she pushed open the double doors to the central room. She was immediately attacked by Aurora, who attached herself firmly to her trainer's shoulder.

Lia laughed weakly and stroked the Ralts' head, giggling, "Ne? Did you miss me that much, Aurora-chan?"

The Ralts frowned and buried her head in Lia's shoulder. She couldn't lose track of Lia yet. She had to gain the girl's trust so she could see what she so longed to see…

The trainer went about her normal morning duties, feeding her pokemon and deciding where to go next. Lia sat cross-legged on the floor, a yellowing Town Map spread out across her lap. She absent-mindedly delivered a spoonful of corn flakes into her mouth as she traced out a path with her finger.

"Dewford, Dewford, hmm…what! Deword's an island? Uggh…" she moaned as she leaned over backwards.

She held up her hand and counted down her options. "Well, none of my pokemon can fly, and Nepti's definitely not big enough to surf us there…the only thing left's a boat…"

Lia sat up sharply and slapped her forehead in annoyance. "Of course! Mr. Briney! Geez, I can be dense at times…"

Kou snidely added, "Tor chic?" _At times?_, but this only earned a return to her pokeball, breakfast or not.

"Are you all finished?" Lia inquired, turning to the rest.

Faelia gave a short nod, returning to her careful, meticulous grooming. Shadow nodded awkwardly, still turning his head side to side to take in the whole room. Nepti gave a hesitant, jerking nod, never looking up once.

_That's a consensus. _hummed Aurora, having finished her own meal a while ago.

"Alright," said Lia, smiling in spite of the day's rough start. She recalled her pokemon and slung her bag over her shoulder, finally ready to go.

She walked to the door and tentatively held out her hand for rain – it was still sprinkling. She sighed and grabbed an umbrella from the P.C.'s stash – she wondered if anyone ever returned them. Lia fumbled with the cache, getting rained on as she tried to open it. Frustrated, she cast it like a fishing pole, only to have it pop open and startle her.

"Wah! Ugh, stupid umbrella…" she muttered.

She couldn't stay mad at it for long, however, because it was decorated with tiny Plusle and Minun faces and was really quite cute. She flipped it up over her head, brushing her wet bangs away from her forehead.

The trainer strolled along the wet, tiled roads of Rustboro to its outskirts, looking round curiously. Very few people were out because of the rain and early hour, yet the city still gave off an aura of business.

"Think we'll ever be here again, Aurora?" Lia inquired at she stepped outside the city limits.

Aurora, for her part, just shrugged and shifted a little, trying to find a comfortable pose.

The two had just reached the bridge near the Pretty Petal Shop when Lia spotted someone in the distance. He looked very familiar…

"Oh, Ryu! Hey Ryu!" she called out, waving her free arm to catch his attention.

The boy turned, and it was indeed Ryu. His gray hood was pulled up over his head, but it was doing little to keep his white hair off of his face. He walked towards her through the strengthening rain.

"Well, well, if it isn't Lia. What are you doing in Rustboro?" he asked.

"I was getting my Stone badge, see?" She produced the shining silver badge, and then continued, "What are you doing?"

"Oh, you know, traveling – a battle here, a new pokemon there…" He suddenly paused to observe Aurora, lifting her head and turning it side to side.

"Huh. Interesting Ralts – it's got intelligent eyes. But it looks pretty weak…"

Lia indignantly replied, "What? Who are you to call my pokemon weak?!? She could be really strong for all you know."

Ryu smirked and produced a pokeball from his pocket, holding it straight out to her.

"Wanna test that theory?"

Lia gritted her teeth and said, "Grr…Aurora, show him what you're made of!"

The Ralts was mildly surprised – Lia had never used her in a battle before, yet was confident of her abilities. With a tiny sigh, she jumped off Lia's shoulder and floated to the ground.

Ryu grinned confidently, saying, "I'll prove to you that it was a fluke! Go, Hail!"

The pokeball spun through the air and cracked, finally revealing a small, blue mudfish.

"Kip. Mudkip mud…" sighed the pokemon, rather apathetic towards the prospect of battle.

Lia noted, slightly annoyed, "Why do you have two starters?"

"Didn't I tell you being the kid of a professor had its perks? Let's make this a two-on-two, just to make it more interesting." His laugh seemed to be unintentionally mocking, and it was irritating Lia even more.

"Hail, start with Water Gun!" Ryu said abruptly, and the battle began.

The pokemon swelled slightly as it sharply sucked in air, then blew out a jet of water. It cut a path through the rain, and the weather was only aiding it.

Reflexively, Lia called out, "Aurora, Reflect!" Something about battling Ryu kept her on the defense…

The psychic responded quickly with a wall of orange light. The Water Gun blasted against it, veering off to the side but shattering the wall.

'_Crap, I was hoping that it would last at least two turns…'_ Lia thought worriedly.

Ryu, still in control of the battle, commanded, "Hail, Tackle!"

"Kip ip!" growled the Mudkip as it charged towards Aurora. The Ralts attempted to dodge, but her low speed wasn't enough. The impact sent Aurora flying back, but she corrected herself in mid-air.

"Aurora, Confusion!" called Lia. She had to be a lot more aggressive to win, and this was the first step.

Aurora's eyes turned completely blue, and soon she and Hail were covered in the mystic aura. Then, with a sudden cry of "Ral alts!", she slammed the Mudkip to the ground. The second he struggled to his feet again, he was tossed up and thrown down once again.

Lia's grip on her umbrella relaxed a little – if she could keep up a psychic battle…

Ryu waited quietly, planning his next move. He had to wait until Hail's HP was a mere sliver. _Slam!_ Almost… _Slam!_ Almost… _Slam!_ There. That was it.

"Hail, activate your special ability Torrent now!"

The Mudkip got to his shaking feet and braced himself. The next psychic attack came at him but just blew over in wake of this new development. The small puddles that had been collecting on the ground were now drawn to Hail, whistling by like bullets. They gathered around him like a wide, short water spout, until the fish was almost obscured by water.

"Hail, Water Gun!"

"Aurora, brace yourself!"

The commands were issued so close together that it seemed like a blur to the Ralts. She surrounded herself with a wall of psychic energy, and seconds later she was violently jerked back by a very powerful Water Gun. The shield burst, leaving her exposed to the backlash of water that sprayed everywhere, and she was covered by the waves.

She couldn't breathe. For three horrible, constricting seconds she could do nothing but think of resurfacing, and even that was limited by her weakened body. Aurora fell harshly to the muddy ground as the wave passed her, leaving her gasping desperately and shuddering. Her head was light, and dizzying bouts of nausea passed, too. She knew what came next.

"Aurora!" called Lia as she ran to her pokemon. The Ralts had collapsed in the mud, unable to battle any longer.

The trainer glanced across the field to check Hail's condition. It appeared to be exhausted by its attack and was lying in the mud, breathing heavily with pained gasps.

"Seems like they're both unable to battle, eh? Well, onto the next one, shall we?" said Ryu happily, recalling his fallen Mudkip.

Lia nodded, gathering Aurora into her arm with the umbrella and unclipping another pokeball with her free hand.

"This one wins it, right? Then let's do it, Kou!" she called, throwing the ball out awkwardly.

The little Torchic fluffed in the rain, but smirked when she saw Ryu, "Tor or chic?" _Back for more?_

Ryu laughed, "Well, with that pokemon, I only have one choice, don't I? Come on Blaze!"

The Cyndaquil seemed equally displeased with the rain, but had enough focus to ignore it – unlike Kou, who was now an orange puffball.

"Kou, Scratch attack, now!" Lia commanded, beginning round two.

"Blaze, dodge-" Ryu began, but Kou had already crossed the field and slashed her claws across Blaze's face.

"Hmm, so you've trained…" noted Ryu rather dryly.

"What did you expect? Now Kou, don't leave a gap in the offense!" Lia replied.

The bird rushed in with another attack, but this time Ryu was quicker on the draw.

"Blaze, Quick Attack!"

The Cyndaquil rushed quickly to the side and slammed into Kou, who rolled and got to her feet quickly.

Both trainers issued commands quickly, and the two starters attacked as fiercely as possible. They were both highly competitive, neither willing to back down. Of course, at this exhausting pace, both pokemon were weak after a few minutes of battling in the rain.

The storm seemed to be ending, but Lia still clutched her umbrella firmly as she called, "Kou, Fury Swipes!"

"Blaze, counter it with Ember!" yelled back Ryu. It was exhilarating – Lia was a good opponent, and he preferred his battles so close that even he didn't know what would happen.

Kou half stumbled, half ran at Blaze until she was within range. She jumped up and slashed rapidly at his back, but he flared his back flames to scorch the bird. She slid off to the side and re-struggled to her feet, face burnt and raw. Blaze, on the other hand, was suffering from a lacerated back and various bruises. They faced each other, battered and gasping for air, yet neither would back down for a second.

Lia grimaced – she knew Kou couldn't take much more of this. She reluctantly held up the hand containing Kou's pokeball, sighing, "Kou, re-"

Suddenly, she was cut off. Sparks of light were appearing and gathering around Kou and Blaze in a symmetric circle. The lights multiplied and swirled upwards until both pokemon were covered in the unearthly glow. They seemed to be growing, changing in size…

Lia dropped her umbrella and her hands flew to her mouth – Kou and Blaze were evolving.

The lights faded and the two newly evolved pokemon faced off once again. Their previous wounds seemed smaller on their new bodies. Kou, for one, was much taller. She had gained long, clawed tipped arms and her head feathers curved back beyond her shoulders. Blaze had also grown a lot, increasing in size and fire power, as was shown by crests of flame along his head and hips. His eyes were open now, and they were intimidating crimson orbs that met Kou's evenly.

Ryu had nonchalantly flipped out his Pokedex in the meantime, and he was just putting it away now.

"Interesting development, eh? Let's see how it plays out – Blaze, Tackle!" he called.

The Quilava launched itself at Kou, raring to try out this new power. Kou still was breathing erratically – a Tackle attack wouldn't be good.

"Kou, uh, er, some sort of kicking attack! Your legs are stronger, right?" Lia stuttered. Being from Johto, her lack of experience with Hoenn pokemon was obvious.

Kou, not quite sure what to do, held out a leg to stop the attack. Blaze slammed right into it, but the Tackle stopped completely – hardly any whiplash. She grinned at this prospect, and following up, she released him and kicked him twice in the side in rapid succession. Blaze fell to the side, then got up again, coughing. He glared at her from the side as blood trickled out of his mouth.

Lia winced, then said, "Ryu, let's just call it a draw and-"

"No! I'm not ready to give up, and neither is Blaze! Let's try the special attack – Fire Wheel!" Ryu shouted back. He gritted his teeth nervously – Blaze had never been able to pull off that attack, not in the months and months that they practiced…

Blaze inhaled sharply and the spots on his back burst into brilliant flames. Then, with a coughing exhalation, he threw out a twisting, snake like flame. It formed itself in a ring around him until his image was distorted by the intense heat – the rain within a three feet radius vaporized into steam. Then, with surprising speed for such an injured pokemon, Blaze blitzed forward and slammed into Kou.

The Combusken reeled back, a look of shock plastered onto her face. She stumbled a few steps backwards, then went over. It was apparent that she was making every effort to get back up again, but her muscles wouldn't respond.

"Com bus!" she shrieked. "Com bus ken!" _'Get up! Get __up__ dammit!'_

"Kou!" Lia cried out, running to her pokemon. Shifting Aurora out of her arms and onto the ground, she knelt down by her starter and checked her condition.

"Ah, low health and a burn…just stay there, Kou-chan, don't move…" Lia said worriedly, rummaging through her bag for a cure. "Oh…oh no! I don't think I have the right…"

Suddenly a bagful of Potions, Antidotes, Burn Heals, Paralyz Heals, and various other items were dumped at her feet. She glanced up at Ryu and hesitantly said, "What's all this?"

"Think of it as your consolation prize." he replied with a cheeky grin.

Lia blushed in humiliation and began to spray the cures onto Kou and Aurora, muttering, "You don't have to rub it in. I know I lost."

Ryu squatted down in front of her and taunted, "Lia-chan, do you know why you lost?"

He was really testing her patience, and it showed. "Don't take that condescending tone with me. It's because my pokemon aren't strong enough."

Ryu laughed and tapped her on the head, correcting, "No, your pokemon are strong enough. The problem lies in you."

Lia looked up, a bit shocked by his words. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it shortly afterward.

"Think about it. Kou was fighting really hard out there, and she had no intention of giving up. So when you say, 'Let's call it a draw', you're probably upsetting her, right? Your heart isn't into this trainer thing enough. You gotta work harder." he chuckled.

Lia narrowed her eyes and looked down. It was true. She hadn't been all that motivated as a trainer, and had always felt pushed into it by everyone around her. But she wanted to be something more than that. She wanted…

"I…I want to be the strongest trainer. I want to be so strong that I can beat you, Ryu, and all of the other gym leaders!" she cried loudly. Was she actually crying? She had hardly gotten worked up over anything this much in her life.

Ryu smiled, "Heh, atta girl. I look forward to it." He patted her on the head and stood up, looking towards the sky. The rain had stopped and it was turning out to be a sunny day after all.

"Well, I'm off. Us elite trainers need to stay on the move, you know?" he said with a quick wave.

Lia nodded and returned Kou, finally placing Aurora back in her usual spot. She adjusted her bag and her bandana a little, then sighed heavily – what an emotionally taxing day. And it was only noon…

Before the boy's footsteps had entirely faded, Lia called back without turning, "Hey Ryu? Thanks."

He was probably smirking to himself – it seemed like something he would do.

--- --- ---

Lia continued down the path, and several hours later found her through Petalburg Woods and on Briney's fishing boat. It seemed a little small and crude, and it wobbled when Lia stepped on it.

"Uh, Mr. Briney? Are you sure this is safe?" she said, legs trembling a little.

"Aye, it's safe as anythin'! She's just a wee bit old, that's all!" the captain replied cheerfully.

When he stepped in, the boat sank a little more noticeably, and it worried Lia. But the sea was calm and the breeze was wonderful – she could tell that they were heading for the more tropical part of Hoenn. She giggled in spite of herself and nuzzled her Ralts, who hummed in contentment.

She turned and said, "Let's go, Captain Briney! The sea awaits!"

The old man chuckled, "That it does, lassie, that it does."

With a sputtering whirl, the engine came fitfully to life and propelled the small boat onto the open sea and towards the waiting Dewford.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please review! You shall get Kou cookies! Ah, but carefully, they bite.


	10. Chapter 9: Of Darren

Not too much change here, either. Darren shows up, and there's not much one can do with him, I'm afraid.

Disclaimer: I own the "anime" Cute Skitty. Which...isn't saying much. Oh, and I don't own Pokemon either.

--------------------------------------------

Lia put her hand over the edge of the boat, letting it trail along the surface as she knelt on the deck. They had been traveling for two hours now and the 3 o' clock sun hung lazily in the sky. Aurora slept on top of Lia's head, using her psychic powers to correct herself if she began to slip.

Mr. Briney glanced over at Lia. It was pretty obvious that she was getting bored, so he had to think of something for her to do.

"Hey lassie, have you used that electronic thing of yours for all the fishies out there?" he said with a laugh, trying to start a conversation.

Lia nodded and replied, "Yeah…Tentacool, Tentacruel, Wingull, Pelipper…hey, a Corsola!"

The boat passed a small colony of the coral pokemon, and they glimmered pastel pink in the sun. Lia pointed her Pokedex at them and watched the screen as it pinged and processed the information. She then pressed a few buttons and scrolled through the entries. This amused her for a couple more minutes, but she finally clicked it shut with sigh and gazed out to the sea.

Briney sighed as well – that is, until he saw his Old Rod. An idea came to him as he picked up the decrepit thing. "Hey Lia, how would you like tah try yer hand at fishin'?"

"Eh? Fishing?" replied Lia, mildly interested. She sat up and placed Aurora on the floor of the boat as she grabbed the rod. It was a bit warped from strain and the sun, but otherwise it seemed to be a good wooden rod.

"Yeah, that there is my faithful Ol' Rod – she caught a fair Magikarp in her day. 'Course, now she's just gatherin' dust. You're welcome to use her." said Briney with a wistful sentiment in his voice, as if he was recalling his early fishing days.

Lia turned the rod over in her hands thoughtfully. She didn't really need another water pokemon, but it would be fun to catch them on a rod…

"Alright, I'll try it!" she exclaimed, casting the rod into the rushing water.

After a few seconds, the rod pulled itself taut. Lia exclaimed, "Oh, a bite!", feeling as though the expression was overused. She attempted to reel it in, being jerked this way and that by the wily pokemon.

"After all this…gah! After this, it better be a…agh!" Lia was jerked to the railing, hitting her stomach squarely across the bar. "Ow…" she whined, wincing as she tried to pull in the pokemon. A bruise was slowly forming, and she could feel it.

At last it seemed that the beast had run out of energy, so with gusto, Lia pulled the mighty fish out of the water. There was a tremendous splash, and once the water cleared, Lia could tell what it really was.

The trainer stared blankly at the small orange carp flopping around at the end of her line.

Aurora tried very hard not to laugh.

"GAH!" Lia screeched, tossing the Magikarp back into the ocean. She sighed and rested her chin on the rail. "I'm tired of this."

"Now lass, ye only tried it once! I'm sure ye'll reel in somethin' good next time." encouraged the kindly captain, giving her more bait – slightly soggy pink pokeblocks. Lia sighed and complied, baiting her hook and throwing it back to the sea.

Unfortunately, time after time, all she pulled up were Magikarp, Magikarp, and more Magikarp. She was getting tired of releasing them after the thirty-fourth, and was seriously considering different ways to "lower their population", but finally her rod snagged on something that wasn't a fish. She reeled in a strange, wilting blue flower that was torn by the waves.

"What's…this?" she inquired. She took the flower off the hook and turned it over in her hands, noting its worn smooth texture.

"Aye lass! That there be a Sea Incense flower!" Mr. Briney explained, taking it from her.

"Sea Incense…what?"

"A Sea Incense flower, lass. If you burn this thing down its ashes will power up Water type attacks."

Lia lit up – that would be really useful for Nepti. "Alright, how do I burn it? Do I have to use smoke signals or a special fire?" she said enthusiastically. It seemed she had been watching too much T.V.

"Ye best leave that to me, lass." the captain chuckled. He hung the flower to dry on the railing, clipping it with rusted clothespins. He then began to prepare the fire, gathering driftwood from a pile in the corner of the boat.

Lia lazily splashed her hands in the water once more, thoroughly bored with the trip once more. Suddenly, her small psychic pushed Lia's bandana over her eyes with a worried squeak.

"Hey! What is it…oh…" As the trainer pushed the bandana back up on her head, she could see what Aurora had been so concerned about. A cluster of pitch black clouds dominated the horizon, and the trees on nearby islands were swaying in the ominous wind.

"Uh…Mr. Briney…" Lia started, backing away from the railing. The captain looked up, his face calm in the presence of the imposing storm. He stroked his stubbly chin thoughtfully.

"Well, thar be a nasty lookin' storm. Hmm…we could avoid her, but that would delay us about a day…" he mused.

Lia squeaked, "What? Are you kidding? Plow right through it!" Her face was completely serious despite the dangerous increase in the wind. Aurora whimpered and buried her face in the trainer's arm.

Captain Briney sighed, "Alright…but…" He cast another look at the tar black sky. "Ye might be wantin' a Water type with ye, just in case."

The determination on her face faltered with his words, and she pried Aurora from her body. She stared into the little Ralts' eyes as she said, "You better get into your pokeball. It'll be too dangerous."

Aurora stared back with a little frown on her face, pouting, _'No, that violates the second condition of me being your pokemon. I always ride with Lia-chan.'_

Lia withdrew the psychic's pokeball from her bag and pointed it at her, saying, "You have to be safe. C'mon Aurora, return."

The red beam of light flew at the Ralts but mysteriously dissipated a foot away from its target. The girl tried once more, but this time she felt a small shock in her hand as the pokeball was wrenched away and thrown to the ground.

'_I said __no__.'_ she reiterated in a harsher voice.

Lia looked worriedly at the Ralts, but her face had the same, indifferent expression that she had the first time the two met, her scarlet eyes burning holes into hers.

It was an incredibly _cold_ look.

The trainer knelt down and carefully picked up the pokeball, saying slowly, "Okay…you can stay out then." She shook her head and took out Nepti's pokeball and released the Marill – the water mouse was the only pokemon she had that was sure to swim.

"Ma?" The Marill inquired sleepily, rubbing her eyes. She suddenly perked her ears and looked out to sea, ears flattening against her head at the sight. Lia put a gloved hand onto the aqua mouse's head.

"Hey Nepti, it'll be alright. You're naturally buoyant, so I might need to hold onto you, okay?" Lia soothed, stroking the pokemon's soft blue fur.

"Ril ma ril?" she inquired timidly. _Are you sure I can do this?_

'_Of course you can.'_ hummed Aurora as she settled down back in Lia's shoulder. _'All you have to do is float.'_

Lia glanced quickly at the Ralts, but her face was back to its normal, cheerful state. Could it have all been…an illusion?

Suddenly, the boat lurched to the side, throwing Lia onto her bruised midsection. She winced and rolled over, moaning, "Ow…ow ow ow ow…" Aurora opened her eyes a smidgeon, having closed them tightly during impact. Nepti, who had simply rolled as easily as a ball, sprung to her feet and bounced to her trainer.

Lia sat up with another whimper, looking up towards the front of the boat. The Captain was running towards her, shouting about something, but his words were drowned out. Drowned out by a deafening roar… The trainer whipped around to see what was causing it, sea spray stinging her eyes.

It was a towering wave of dark navy water.

Lia dove for Nepti, her hand just missing the mouse's tail as she was engulfed by the frigid wave. She was left with no choice but to cling to Aurora as tightly as possible and not let go, even when she was pulled out with the wave, rolling over the railing and into the sea.

She wasn't certain when she hit the surface, or how far down she was, all she felt was a slow, smooth descent. The water was surprisingly calm under the choppy surface. She suddenly opened her eyes to see the clear ocean water extending infinitely around her. In her panic, she opened her mouth to scream, realizing the stupidity after the water rushed into the open cavity.

Darkness crept slowly into her vision, the amount she could see shrinking and shrinking. She was falling again, this time headfirst into the welcoming darkness.

--- --- ---

Lia was suddenly wracked with a wave of shivers and painful coughs.

She rolled onto her back in agony as her lungs heaved up whatever water was in it, and her throat was terribly sore from the salt. A blanket was pulled over her shivering form, causing Lia to sit up sharply. Nepti ran worriedly to her trainer and clung to her arm, while Aurora was sitting calmly near the trainer's waist.

"Good to see ye up, lass." chuckled Captain Briney.

Lia blinked the stinging salt out of her blue eyes and stared up into an equally blue sky. She attempted to shake out a pounding headache and groaned, "Ugh…when did I…?

Briney laughed, "Yer Marill dived right in after ye went over. I was worried about you two, but it seems yer pokemon came through for ye."

Lia smiled and patted Nepti on the head, radiating affection for her water mouse. "Thank you Nepti. You saved by life."

The Marill blushed and stuttered something incomprehensible even to Aurora, then fell silent. The bashful Marill didn't have anything to say to a compliment.

Lia stood up and stretched, looking beyond the boat to the sea beyond. There was a small island in the distance, looking close enough to reach in fifteen minutes or so. The buildings looked battered, and one building in particular had a palm tree through the roof. The sand was blown around the ground, and people were sweeping the ground or picking up broken glass and wood.

"Looks like the storm really got them, huh." Lia murmured sadly.

"Yes, that's the problem with that island – it's so susceptible to storms. Just a couple o' years ago, a hurricane hit and nearly wiped out every building thar. I come down here every once in a while to help out the recovery effort." Briney replied, preparing to dock the boat.

Lia recalled Nepti into her pokeball and helped Aurora onto her shoulder before stepping off the boat onto the rickety dock. She carefully avoided the missing planks of wood and stepped onto the warm island sand. The people were bustling about, with humans and pokemon alike repairing the buildings and objects around town.

Briney tapped Lia on the shoulder and said, "Hey, I have some business ta take care of here. Let me know when you want to go on ta Slateport City."

"Ah, okay…" she replied, looking around for the son of Devon's president.

Off to the side was the large building with the palm tree crashed through it, and several young trainers were cleaning up the broken glass. But there was something strange about the way they were dressed…

Lia gasped with the strangest revelation yet – they were cosplayers! Every single one of them was a Skitty cosplayer! It was strange for her to see them all gathered in one place, but there they were.

One came up to her and said, "Oh, an outsider, huh? You know about Cute Skitty, right?"

As she blinked in confusion, another cosplayer arrived and scolded, "Hey, that's not the first thing to ask her! You're supposed to ask her if she wants to help!"

"Well, I just wanted to see if Cute Skitty was popular on the mainland…"

Lia suddenly spoke up, "You don't mean… That one weird anime about a ten year old girl who mysteriously is bitten by a Skitty and transforms into a sixteen year old with Skitty ears and powers…?" She seemed a bit put off by the whole concept.

The two cosplayers were silent for a while, then screamed, "YES, THAT'S IT!!! IS IT POPULAR? TELL US!!!"

Lia edged away, saying, "No, that's alright, I mean…I'm going to help now!" And with that, she ran past them towards the hall.

Having escaped the obsessed fans, Lia moved inside and attempted to pick up a large branch that seemed to have crushed a shelf, spilling Skitty dolls all over the ground. However, the branch was incredibly heavy and she couldn't lift it more than three inches off the ground.

"Ah…this is…really heavy… I should have…asked for help…" she whined as she struggled with the branch.

Suddenly, the branch was pared neatly in two, and as the pieces clattered to the ground the trainer could see a Grovyle with mint green leaves instead of the usual turquoise blue. The gecko's eyes were regarding her curiously.

"Oi, Mint! What did I tell you about wandering off! You really are a handful."

The voice came from a tall boy wearing the Skitty hat and tail get up that everyone else was wearing, but he didn't seem to give off the creepy aura that the other cosplayers were. His hair was an amazingly bright crimson color and his eyes were golden brown and indifferent.

Lia finally stuttered, "U-uh, thank you for your Grovyle's help…"

"Oh, you mean Mint? Eh, she just does that on her own sometimes…hey, you're from the mainland, too?" he rattled off.

"Oh, yeah…! That reminds me! I have to go find Steven Stone!" Lia exclaimed. Talk of the mainland reminded her of her goal.

The boy turned his head up in thought. "Steven…that sounds familiar…ah! The weirdo who collects rare stones, yeah that's him. He's probably in Granite Cave. Oh, but without a pokemon that knows Flash, you'll be forever lost."

Lia sighed, "Oh, is it that dark? I don't have a pokemon like that…"

The boy looked briefly at his Grovyle, who nodded at him. He nodded back, then addressed Lia, "Well, I have a pokemon that knows Flash. I'll guide you through the cave, but it's gonna cost you 1000 P."

"EH? That much?" she protested.

He laughed, "Ha! Just kidding…well a little at least. I'll charge you after we get out. My name's Darren Moss – what's yours?"

Lia hesitantly shook his outstretched hand, a bit taken aback by his foreign name. "I'm Lia Makura…"

"Well Lia, we better get a move on. Steven's not going to find himself." he said as he dragged her out the door by her arm.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Granite Cave is this way."

"Oh…"

They walked in silence for a short while along the Dewford beach, passing by fishermen who were undaunted by the cluttered shores. Lia looked over at Darren, observing his strange outfit.

"Darren…are you going to wear that outfit all day?" she inquired, tugging at the right Skitty ear.

"Mmm…probably. Why, isn't it cool?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Not at all." Lia replied with a sigh, earning a slightly annoyed look from Darren.

"Hey, be kind to me. I'm guiding you out of the kindness of my heart." he sighed.

"If that's true, then why are you charging me?" she countered.

Darren laughed a bit and put his hands behind his head as he strolled along next to Lia, approaching the looming Granite Cave in the distance.

----------------------------------------------------------

Oh Darren-chan. He actually seems a bit nicer here than he actually is. I guess he lured Lia into a false sense of security. Please review!


	11. Chapter 10: Of Hal and Amy

Yes, I know you're all thinking, WTF? She actually updated within two months? And the answer is...yes! So enjoy.

Disclaimer: If I owned pokemon, I would have an episode in the anime dedicated to Lia. So until you hear - Enter Lia! The Emerald Appears, don't worry about me owning pokemon.

---------------------------------

Lia desperately wished that her pupils could dilate a little more, because the overwhelming darkness of Granite Cave was unnerving. Aurora sat on her trainer's shoulder, able to see everything psychically but unable to help Lia.

"Darren? Could you get out your Flash pokemon before I trip and fall?" she whimpered, clinging to a wall and afraid to move.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm hurrying. Alright, go Hikage, Flash." he sighed.

There was a brief flash of white light as the pokemon was released, but it was so bright that Lia's eyes stung too much to see. Then there was a soft white glow emanating from the pokemon…

Lia gasped in astonishment – it was a Kirlia, but it was different. Where normal Kirlia were green, it was dark ebony, and where it should have been white, it was a pale gray. Its red eyes looked up at her indifferently as Darren did.

Darren smiled – actually, it was more of a smirk – as he patted Hikage on the head. "Yeah, this is Hikage, my Kirlia. There's a reason why he looks like this, but as for that…I don't feel like telling you."

Lia blinked at this blatant refusal, but Aurora was too busy tugging on Lia's hair to pay her any heed.

_Lia, Lia, when will I be a Kirlia like that?_ she whined impatiently.

"Oh! Uh…soon, maybe." she replied uncertainly. In truth, Aurora hadn't been in that many battles and Lia had no idea what level the Ralts was at. Perhaps the pokemon would evolve when she was old enough, but Lia wasn't exactly sure how that worked.

"Oi! Are you going to just stand there, or are you going to follow me?" called Darren from afar. His crimson hair glittered in the light.

Lia shook her head and said, "Ah, coming!"

She shakily wobbled after him, unable to get a good footing on the uneven ground. She stumbled often, sometimes running into walls and falling flat on her face. On the fifth such occasion, she found Darren and Hikage standing over her with bemused expressions on their faces.

"What, do I need to hold your hand?" he offered, suppressing a laugh.

Lia was about to refuse, but when she fell while trying to get up she sighed and reluctantly took his hand. Of course, she hadn't expected to be lifted clear off her feet for half a second before landing on her feet, bewildered.

"W-wow. You're pretty strong…" Lia said as she was dragged along roughly by the older boy.

"Well, what do you expect? You're what, thirteen? I'm fifteen and a guy. Plus I've been a trainer for three years." he replied airily, following Hikage without slipping once.

Lia perked up. "For three years? How many badges do you have?"

"Ah, I suppose three years is a little misleading – I only have two badges. I suppose I'm not so much of a trainer as I am a wanderer with some pokemon. I've been pretty much everywhere on this continent." Darren said with a little reflection.

Lia sweat-dropped – she supposed that Darren wasn't very motivated about much of anything. She wondered what it had been like, wandering where the wind blew you, using battles to support yourselves but with no higher goal…

"Hey, there's something up ahead." said the older boy, pulling her faster so she could see.

Lia looked up over the small rocky hill and saw a light emanating from an archway. As they approached it, they could make out a young man sitting amongst hundreds of shiny rocks, but upon closer inspection, the rocks were worthless. The man had silver hair that brushed his shoulders as if he hadn't cut it in a long time, and when he turned around, it was clear that his eyes were the same piercing blue color as Lia's.

"Oh, there are people…that can reach me? Wait, of course they can reach me…" he said slowly, as if he wasn't really paying much attention to them. In his hands was a gleaming Fire Stone, looking similar to all the junk ore but slightly different. An Aron appeared near him and growled at them menacingly, its silver armor glinting in Hikage's light.

Lia spoke up, "Ah! But, I have a letter here for Steven Stone from his father!" She took the letter out of her satchel and offered it to him.

His face softened considerably as he said, "Oh, from my father? Well, I suppose that's okay…" He silenced his Aron by patting it on the head and took the letter from Lia. She could feel that his hands were surprisingly soft for someone who was digging for rare stones.

He pocketed the Fire Stone and glanced at the letter, his face confused by the blank return address. He ripped it open and scanned the contents quickly, his face settling into a slightly angry look, then an absolute scowl as he threw the letter to the side.

"Uh…Mr. Steven? Are you okay?" Lia asked worriedly – anger didn't go very well with his face.

Steven looked back up, his face settling easily back to its blank yet kind expression. "It's nothing, don't worry yourself. It's just a tiresome request that I don't intend to cooperate with."

Darren spoke up suddenly, spinning Lia around to the entrance of the cave. "It looks like we've got a bit of unwanted company."

Two figures were standing in the shadows, and they moved into the light when Darren saw them. They were dressed in dark emerald green pants and long sleeved shirts, and gray aviator goggles were strapped over their eyes. The front of their shirts had a dark silver S embroidered on it, matching their silver boots. One of them flipped up his goggles and laughed.

"Saw us, did you? You've got sharp eyes kid, but we're not too concerned with you. Steven Stone – is it very wise to turn an invitation from our leader?" he sneered. His hair was jet black in dreadlocks, and they looked ridiculous on him.

Steven simply smiled and replied, "Hmm, Team Sky actually came, huh? Well, I'm terribly sorry, but I have no intention of meeting with him. I believe I told him that a long time ago." Lia sweat-dropped at how calm he was in the face of danger – wasn't he scared at all?

The man growled and yelled, "How dare you defy us! I am Hal of Team Sky, Grunt Rank E! And this-" He grabbed his partner, which turned out to be a girl with short, wavy blonde hair and a stern expression. "This is Amy, Grunt Rank E, and we are a force to be reckoned with!"

The girl wrenched her arm away from Hal and hissed, "Stop touching me. Didn't I tell you not to make us look like fools?" She turned her attention to Steven once again and said softly, "I'm afraid you don't have a choice. Our leader requested that we bring you whether or not you agreed."

She pulled out a green and gray pokeball and clicked it against her leg to open it, revealing a large Taillow that flew up and sat complacently on her shoulder. Hal did the same, withdrawing the ball and tossing it into the air with a pose as if he were one of the Poke Rangers. The ball released a Zubat that hovered effortlessly in the air before him.

Steven surveyed the pokemon, then said, "Well…how should I put this? I believe my pokemon are much too large for this cave and battling would surely collapse it. Therefore…"

He clapped Lia and Darren on the shoulder, saying, "It looks like you two are up. Good luck."

"Eh? What?" Lia exclaimed as she was pushed forward towards the grunts. She wasn't sure she could battle effectively in the poor light. She tapped Aurora on the head reluctantly and said, "Well Aurora, I guess you're up…"

Darren, however, sighed and said, "What are you so scared of? We'll defeat them. Grunts never have many pokemon on them. How many do you have?"

"Er…I've got five…" she stuttered.

"And I've got four, so it's alright. So for this battle…I guess that pokemon would be okay – go Leaf!" he exclaimed, tossing a battered pokeball out.

When the bright light subsided, Lia could see a small blue pokemon with a broad leaf on its head. Its four legs were stubby, and overall the pokemon was unimpressive. "Lotad!" it cried in a feminine voice.

Hal snickered, "Ha, is that all you've got to show us? A teeny tiny Ralts and a Lotad? Pathetic." He subsided into giggles once again, earning a roll of the eyes from Amy.

Lia growled, "If it's so pathetic, then take this! Aurora, Confusion on the Zubat!" Aurora's eyes glowed blue and she sent the psychic attack in the form of blue rings.

Hal nervously shouted, "Zubat, dodge!" Amy immediately smack him over the head and said, "You idiot! You can't dodge a psychic attack!"

True to Amy's words, the Confusion hit the Zubat despite its intricate barrel roll in midair. His wings missed a beat and he flapped wildly in the air, then struggled to regain his altitude. It was clear he took a heavy hit, being part Poison. His mouth was open as he panted, sharp fangs gleaming in the light.

The female grunt took up the slack with a quick command, "Taillow, Wing Attack! Hit the Ralts!" Before Lia could get word in, the bird extended its wings and dive bombed Aurora, hitting her squarely in the stomach and pulling up quickly. It was an amazingly accurate attack, and Aurora got the wind knocked out of her.

Darren started his part of the battle with, "Leaf, a Water Gun to the bird, if you would." The Lotad raised her head and shot a jet of water at the bird, hitting its wing as it attempted to dodge. The feathers were bent in strange directions, leaving Taillow to fly up to a rocky ledge and groom its feathers indignantly.

Hal seemed to have recovered from his shock, for he shouted, "Zubat, Supersonic!" The bat nodded and screeched, sending waves of piercing sound towards Aurora and Leaf. It hit both the pokemon and they swayed clumsily in the wake of the attack.

"Aurora!" Lia called, holding her own ears in pain. It seemed that Darren was affected too, as he was holding his head with one hand, squinting his eyes in pain.

Suddenly, a very strange thing happened. Aurora glowed a pale yellow and soon Zubat and Taillow were glowing as well. As suddenly as the glow began, it stopped, but now the grunt's two pokemon were reeling in confusion as well.

"Wh-what? What just happened?" Hal said incredulously. "Synchronize…" Amy mumbled. "Huh?" "Synchronize is Ralts' built in ability. Any status condition given to it is in turn giving to its opponent." she explained with a sigh.

"Hey, that's not fair! Uh…Zubat, use Bite on the Lotad!" he called, trying to cover for his mistakes. Amy sighed – everyone knew that the Bite would have been more effective on the Ralts…

Nevertheless the Zubat careened wildly towards Leaf, and they more slammed into each other than an actual Bite attack. Still, Leaf was injured a little and staggered as the Zubat pulled himself drunkenly into the air again.

Darren took a bit more of an aggressive stance – apparently he wasn't the type to let attacks like that go. "Leaf, go for it – Tackle the Zubat!"

Leaf launched herself into the air several times, each jump missing the bat pokemon completely. It seemed like more of a Take Down attack, really – Leaf was hurt each time she landed haphazardly on the ground. Finally, the pokemon met in midair, neither really hurt, but it gave Leaf a reason to stop her flurry of inaccuracy.

Amy hissed under her breath, "This is stupid. Acting like a bunch of drunks…" She pulled a berry that Lia didn't recognize out of her pocket and threw it to Taillow, who ate it instinctively. The bird's eyes slowly focused, and soon it was hovering steadily again.

"Go Taillow – Peck the Ralts!" Amy commanded as sharply as a drill sergeant, and Taillow executed the command just as perfectly as before.

The bird dove at the teetering Aurora and slammed into her with the sharp tip of its beak, forming a neat, diamond shaped cut in Aurora's pale skin. The psychic staggered back in shock, her red eyes wide and free from the clouds of confusion – the attack had knocked her out of it.

Lia took notice of this and yelled, "Hurry Aurora, retaliate with Confusion!" She seemed to have snapped out of the fog that had settled over her brain as well.

Aurora stood, holding her hand to her wound to stem the flow of blood. Her eyes glowed blue once again, and the blue rings blasted out. Taillow, however, was more than ready and dodged out of the way, so the Confusion hit the confused Zubat instead. The bat gave a strangled shriek and fell from the air, but Hal returned it before it hit the ground.

"Damn." he hissed as he pocketed the pokeball. "Guess it's up to you, Amy." The blonde sighed, "Isn't it always? Taillow, use Gust!"

The bird obliged and whipped up a small whirlwind that lifted smaller rocks and debris as it spun, slamming into both Aurora and Leaf. Aurora landed shakily on her feet, but Leaf flopped over on her side, panting heavily.

Lia tugged Darren's shirt sleeve and whispered, "Maybe you should recall Leaf. She looks pretty weak…" She worried about the small pokemon and its weakness to Flying type attacks.

"Ah, don't worry, Leaf's got spark in her yet. Alright Leaf, use Absorb." he said nonchalantly with a grin. He seemed to have relaxed a bit and was actually enjoying himself.

The Lotad sent a small seed towards Taillow, which imbedded itself in its soft feathers. Before the bird could pick it out, green bubbles streamed from it into Leaf, rejuvenating her while wounding the Taillow. The bird was finally beginning to show the strain, and it struggled to stay in the air.

Amy gritted her teeth. She knew Taillow only had a couple more attacks in it before it fainted… "Taillow, Wing Attack!" She hoped the bird had enough…just enough left…

The bird tiredly swooped in and hit Leaf sharply, flipping her over and sapping whatever health she had regained. Without being commanded, Leaf rolled over and sprayed at Water Gun at the bird in retaliation – she really was angry now.

Taillow hung a sharp left – would the attack hit? No – the jet nicked the tips of the bird's right wing and blew past. Amy sighed in relief and prepared her next command when…

"Aurora, turn it back!" Lia called.

The Ralts took control of the errant Water Gun and pushed it psychically towards the Taillow. Before the bird could do anything about it, the jet slammed it into a wall, K.O.'ing it instantly.

Amy barely had time to return it before Hal grabbed her arm again and shouted, "You were lucky this time, but mark my words – we'll be back! And we'll take our revenge! Now away we go!"

He pulled her off into the shadows and they were gone, Amy's angry voice fading into echoes. Darren made a move to follow them, but Lia held him back.

"It's enough for now. Come on, return Leaf." she said soothingly. She already had Aurora in her arms, who was drinking a Potion down so fast he thought she would choke. The Ralts coughed a little, then continued her wild drinking.

The boy sighed and said, "Hikage, get Leaf and look after her, okay?" The Kirlia nodded and picked up the Lotad, who was lying right were she had fallen after the Wing Attack.

They were startled by Steven's sudden clapping – they had forgotten he was there. He was smiling politely as always.

"That was good. Very good, actually – I get the feeling you two will be great battlers one day. Anyway, here is a token of my gratitude…" he said as he placed a silver CD in Lia's hands.

"Oh, a TM? I couldn't accept…" She trailed off as she thought of Kou's words – never turn down anything free. Were those really wholesome words to live by?

Darren took the TM out of Lia's hands and said, "Steel Wing, eh? Well, I'll keep this as my payment." "EH?" "My payment, remember? I never said I would waive the fee." He smiled at her and ruffled her hair as she pouted.

Steven interrupted, "Well, thank you for all your help Miss Lia. I'll be sure to tell my father how helpful you've been. Now, if you two would follow me…"

The two confused teens followed Steven through the cave along a small tunnel that led out of the room. All of the sudden it turned up and the evening sun streamed in. Lia squinted against the natural light. "Evening already?"

Darren looked blankly at the tunnel, which was about ten feet from the original entrance. "Was this tunnel here the entire time?" he asked quietly.

"Hmm? Why of course! Everyone knows that the tunnel is the shortest way through Granite Cave." Steven replied, surprised.

Lia excused herself from Steven to stop Darren from slamming his head into a palm tree enough to give himself a migraine.

Once the group said their goodbyes, Lia and Darren made their way to the Pokemon Center to have a free meal. While Darren laid on a couch with an ice pack sitting securely on his head, Lia got the food. She walked up to the Nurse Joy, whose hair was dyed a platinum blonde to fit in with the whole island look.

"Um, excuse me? Can you tell me what they're serving for dinner tonight?" she asked as politely as she could without staring at the super-tanned blonde nurse.

"Like, sure! We have, like, fish sticks, fish steaks, fish fillets, fish-on-a-stick, fish in a ball, fried fish, steamed fish, baked fish, one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish…" she rambled.

Lia reeled from the extensive list of fish and said meekly, "Uh, eleven orders of fish sticks, please."

She carried the bags back to the couch and sat next to Darren, who complained about Dewford. She released her pokemon and began to hand out their meals as he talked.

"I mean, come on! Why do they only serve fish? I know it's an island and all, but where's the sushi, the calamari, and the seafood! I've been stuck on this island for three months because Briney wouldn't come back with his boat…" he moaned, rolling over.

Lia looked up from Kou stealing fish sticks from Shadow and ignored the dog biting her starter. "Oh, Mr. Briney? He's in Dewford now, actually."

Darren nearly bolted up into a sitting position, saying, "Seriously? He's here? When is he leaving for Slateport?" He was suddenly overcome with dizziness and fell back onto the couch.

Lia smiled at his antics and said, "Well, he's taking me to Slateport as soon as I finish the gym."

Darren gave an aggravated sigh and said, "So that means I have to go with you if I want to leave this island? Damn, I just can't get rid of you, can I?" He said it with a smile, so she knew he was just kidding.

"Guess not." she laughed. She turned her attention to Kou and said, "Hey! Leave Shadow alone!"

"Com om bust ken! COM BU UST KEN!!!!" _Leave him alone! I'M THE ONE GETTING MY ARM BITTEN OFF, DAMMIT!"_ she yelled, trying to shove Shadow off with her claws. The Poochyena let go and returned to his food, his good eye watching Kou suspiciously.

Lia turned to Darren and said, "Hey, I brought food for you and your pokemon, too – do you want any?"

"Yeah, they're probably hungry…" He pulled pokeballs off of a chain he wore for a belt and tossed them. Four pokemon materialized – Mint, his Grovyle, Hikage, his Kirlia, Leaf, his Lotad, and a small Taillow with a bright red tail.

"Red Tail, meet Lia. Lia, Red Tail. Now that we're all acquainted, you guys can eat." Darren said. The pokemon didn't need to be told twice and they happily consumed the fish sticks.

Lia realized that Darren hadn't received a proper introduction of her pokemon, so she gave one. "Okay, so this Combusken is Kou, my starter, and you know Aurora, my Ralts. This is Shadow the Poochyena, Nepti the Marill, and Faelia the Zigzagoon. Say hi everyone!"

Each pokemon, except Kou, gave a friendly cry of greeting, while Kou just grunted and continued to eat. Darren laughed at this behavior.

"What an ill-mannered Combusken you have there, Lia." he laughed, ticking Kou off. The starter was ready to retaliate when Lia chided, "Hush, save your energy for the gym tomorrow."

Kou perked up at the prospect of a battle and sat down, easily tricked into submission. Lia smiled and began to set up blankets for all the pokemon to sleep on. Once they were all settled and asleep, Lia unfurled her own sleeping bag and curled up.

"Going to bed already? It's barely eleven." Darren teased, to which she replied, "Shut up! I'm tired…"

She rolled over and was silent for awhile. Just before Darren drifted off to sleep, Lia said, "Darren?"

"Hn?"

"Thanks for helping me."

He smiled, "Yeah, whatever kid."

Lia rolled over again to get comfortable and began to fall asleep. She was content, but something nagged at the back of her mind. That Team Sky…what did they want? She sighed and prayed, _'Please, just let me have a restful night of sleep tonight…I'm tired of nightmares.'_

It was the last thought in her head as her mind wandered over the edge of consciousness.

--------------------------------------------------------------

In reality, I love Hal and Amy. You can be sure they will reappear. Anyway, reviews equal me being happy equals updates. Do the math and review!


	12. Chapter 11: Of the Second Gym Battle

Well, hello again to all. Sorry as always that these chaptes take so long, but if it's any comfort, this one is long than any other one that I've written.

Disclaimer: I own a copy of Pokemon Emerald, where the character Lia has all eight badges and a Blaziken named Kou. But I don't own pokemon.

_---------------------------------------------_

_The floor was cold._

_A weary three-year-old Lia picked her head up from the tiled floor and stared blearily around. She hadn't remembered falling asleep here, but the cold morning awoke her immediately. Her robes were never enough to keep her warm at night, but no one was allowed to enter the inner sanctum. No one except her, that is._

_She slowly got up and looked towards the looming altar. It was empty, as usual. How long had it been since she had seen him? She was always terribly lonely._

_Lia walked over to the intricate door and pushed it open slowly, peeking out to the outer sanctum. Servants of the temple were bustling about, all dressed in the white robes with green and gold hexagons embroidered on them. One of them walked over to the door and gave an empty smile to the child._

"_So you are awake, Lia-sama. How are you today?" The female servant bent slightly to brush the child's hair away, trying to create an illusion of care._

_Lia was so young that she shouldn't have been able to tell, but those words didn't feel right. They were so cold – there was no warmth in them. At least, it wasn't as warm as the voice of-_

"_Is…is my mother coming today?" she inquired, her voice hopeful._

"_Yes, actually. You knew she had the baby right? You have a little brother now. How wonderful for you." the servant replied._

_Before Lia had time to let the shock settle in, a pale woman walked in with a baby in her arms. Her hair was very long and pale blonde while her eyes were the same sky blue as her daughter. Lia spontaneously burst into tears and ran to the woman, burying herself in her robes._

_The woman smiled and smoothed the child's hair, "I missed you too, Lia."_

_Lia reached up her arms to the woman, but she shook her head and pointed to the baby. She did, however, take Lia's hand and led her away from the servants and their empty words. They sat together, Lia clinging to her mother's knee, staring with a blank face at the baby. Mistaking the look for interest, the woman shifted the infant so Lia could see him. His hair, wispy and flat, was the same sandy brown as Lia's, and his wide, unblinking eyes were the blue color that they all shared._

"_Isn't he cute? His name is Harin. Your little brother will be coming with me from now on." she cooed, stroking the baby adoringly._

_Lia was silent. He wasn't cute. It wasn't wonderful for her. She didn't want him. **She didn't want him.** Her eyes overflowed with childish tears as she tightly gripped her mother's knee and shook it wildly._

"_Mama! Mama, Mama! Please take me home! I hate it here! They don't like me, they don't like me at all! They never say nice things and they don't play with me! I don't want to be here! Please Mama! Take me home and love me like you love Harin! Please! Leave Harin here and take me home instead!" she ranted._

_It was the cruelest thing the child had ever said._

_The woman stood abruptly, clutching the baby to her protectively and wrenching the child's hand from her knee. Didn't the girl realize that she was taking time out of her day to visit her? She loved Lia, but…_

"_**No. You are never…coming home."**_

Lia awoke with a start. She laid silently in her sleeping bag, tears streaming out of her eyes. This used to happen often to her as a child, and she never remembered why she was crying… She groaned when she saw that the clock read five in the morning – she guessed her prayers hadn't helped after all. She crawled out of the bag and rolled it up – sleeping would be useless now.

The trainer wandered a ways away and saw that there was a small TV in the corner of the Pokemon Center. She looked around for a second – all the other trainers were asleep, so it wouldn't matter what she watched. She sighed guiltily as she clicked the machine on to channel 18.

"And up next on Shoujo Mania is Cute Skitty!" cheered the hyper female announcer as music began to play.

'_Here I go, let's hope that it's not too late!' _

'_Let's fight the evil and fulfill our fate!' _

'_The clock is running and I can't let this pass me by…!' _

'_Let's go, let's go, we can't wait for you, you know!'_

'_Let's fight, let's fight, we must protect and save the light!'_

'_We must keep on going (keep on going)…'_

'_While our time is flowing (time is flowing)…'_

'_I can't stop, I must go!'_

'_I have to save the world, you know?'_

'_And it's all up to me!'_

Images of a young girl with pink hair, a cream and pink sailor fuku, and Skitty ears and tail flashed across the screen in rapid succession. Lia hummed along to the theme song quietly, praying that no one would hear her. As much as she tried to deny it, she really had watched every single episode of Cute Skitty and owned the box set at home. After all, what self-respecting preteen hadn't watched it? The problem was that they were all teenagers now.

Suddenly, two hands clapped themselves on her shoulders, scaring the heck out of her.

"Watching Cute Skitty, are you?" he drawled dryly.

"EEK! Ah, what? Darren!" she shrieked, waking half the center. The trainers jumped up groggily, looking around for a second, then sinking back to their beds.

The redheaded boy simply smirked and patted her shoulder, saying, "Don't worry, don't worry, I won't tell." He seemed to be holding back laughter, as his shoulders were shaking and his hand was over his mouth.

Once Lia got over her embarrassment, she noticed Darren's change in wardrobe. He had previously been wearing a Skitty ensemble, but today the theme seemed to be Lotad. He had a wide, lily pad-like hat perched on his head, a blue shirt and pants, and a yellow scarf around his neck.

"Do you change your outfit everyday?" she inquired.

"Of course. I made all the outfits myself, it would be a shame not to wear them." he sighed as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "But you seem to just wear the same thing every day."

"That's not true!" she squeaked indignantly. She had two pairs of clothes – one lavender and navy set, and a lavender and light blue set. After all, packing light was a necessity.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Just get us some breakfast before we head out to the gym." Darren replied with a shrug, handing her a few gold coins for his breakfast.

Lia nodded and walked up to the Nurse Joy, still as blonde and tan as ever. She was reading an issue of _Surfer's Monthly_, which apparently was filled with pictures of muscle-bound meatheads.

"Um, Nurse Joy? I'd like to buy some breakfast…" she began timidly as she counted the money in her hand.

"Like, sure! Today we have…" Lia braced herself. "…fish pancakes."

"Eh? That it?" "Well, yeah." "Well, eleven orders of fish pancakes then…" she sighed, grateful that Darren had given her some money – her supply was dwindling fast.

She was equally grateful, she thought with a sigh as she distributed the food, that fish pancakes were just pancakes shaped like fish, not pancakes made of fish. Faelia was snuggled contently in the girl's lap, a pancake in her mouth.

"So Darren, what is the gym here like? You must have been to it if you've been stuck here three months." Lia began as she tugged Shadow's food away from Kou.

"Eh, it's a little…how do you say…weird." he replied after awhile.

"Weird? How so?" she inquired, returning Shadow's food to him and hitting Kou squarely on the head without so much as looking at her.

"Eh, it's hard to explain. You'll know when you get there." he said as he tore a pancake in half to give to Leaf, who was having difficulty chewing. The lily pad pokemon squeaked happily and swallowed the chunk whole.

Lia thought about this as she returned her pokemon to their respective balls, Aurora on her shoulder as always. How could a gym be strange? The one in Rustboro was pretty straight-forward despite all of its mini-mountains. Darren stood up and stretched as he returned all of his pokemon except Hikage.

"We'll be needing him." he explained, vague as always.

The two walked out of the center into the hazy morning sun, squinting into the bright fuzz on the horizon. Once their eyes adjusted, they made their way over to the weather worn building marked 'Gym'. Lia pushed open the door to see…nothing. It was pitch black inside beyond the sun's rays.

"Ah, this is the strangeness I was talking about. The gym doesn't use electricity, so it's always dark in here." Darren said suddenly as if it just came to him.

"How is that hard to explain?" she murmured quietly.

"…Don't question my wisdom, just accept it. Now then, in we go." he replied as they walked inside.

Once they got in, Darren tapped Hikage on the head, signaling for the pokemon to use Flash. The gym was suddenly illuminated in a six feet radius, so they could continue on in the light.

"Um, wouldn't most trainers not have a Flash pokemon? Aren't we cheating?" Lia inquired as they walked through the silent gym.

"It's not cheating, it's called being resourceful. Ah, wait here. We're up to the first trap." He whispered as he held out his arm to stop her.

She looked confused for a second until she heard a shrieking, "HIIIIYAAAAAA!!!" from the darkness beyond their circle. A fighting trainer came flying in with a jump kick, but before he could land, Darren swiftly karate chopped him on the back of the neck, sending him directly to the ground. Lia emitted a small "Eep!" as Darren nudged the twitching trainer with his toe.

"Yep, he's out alright. Let's go." he said, stepping over the body.

"Wh-wh-what just happened?" she whispered as she followed him, leaving the trainer where he lay after poking him as well.

"Well…ah, hold on a second. Here." Darren picked up a rusty lamp that was hanging from a hook on the wall and screwed in the light bulb that accompanied it. It flickered a little, then gave off a dull glow.

"Well, in this gym, you're supposed to stumble around blindly until a junior trainer leaps out of the shadows to challenge you. If you win, you get a bulb for this lamp, making the way lighter and the trainers easier to avoid. Of course, I know where all the trainers are…" He paused to whack another intruder on the head. "…so I take them out first."

Lia began, "But isn't that-" "Resourceful? Yes, I know, I'm brilliant." Darren laughed as he tripped yet another trainer and took their light bulb.

Lia sighed but ceased to complain, and they continued as thus for the rest of the labyrinth. The floors seemed to be slanting downward and the walls were getting damper as she ran her hands along them.

'_We seem to be descending.'_ Aurora hummed thoughtfully as her wide red eyes scanned the hallway. _'It's a strange gym.'_

Lia patted Aurora's head thoughtfully as they continued – each gym seemed to be getting…weirder. If they continued at this rate, the final gym would be really strange, like having floors made completely of thin ice… Lia laughed at the absurd thought.

Suddenly, the ground was covered with sand beneath her feet, and there was a light up ahead… She ran ahead of Darren to see what it was…and stopped dead in her tracks. She hardly noticed Darren bumping into her slightly because of her sudden stop.

There was an incredibly large room in front of them, sand covering the floor and paintings of the ocean on the wall. There were carefully placed shells marking off a battle arena – that much Lia recognized. But, but at the back…

Lia gaped in disbelief at the small wave pool located past the arena, and her jaw dropped even more at the fact that there was a guy surfing in it. He was seriously surfing indoors, in his gym. The man jumped off his surfboard and landed on the sand, pausing to straighten his bright blue hair.

"Hey there dudette!" he exclaimed cheerfully as he put down his board in exchange for a few pokeballs. "Are you, like, here for a battle?"

Lia's mouth moved, but no words came out of her mouth – it was just too weird. She finally whispered to Aurora, "Did he just call me…dudette?"

'_Yep. Apparently the female form of dude, I suppose…'_ Aurora mused, amusement evident in her psychic voice.

Lia took a breath and walked forward, replying, "Um, yes, I'm here to get the Knuckle Badge…are you the gym leader?"

He flipped his shining blue hair once again. "Like, yeah. I'm Brawly, the next big wave!" He posed triumphantly on his side of the gym, pumping a fist into the air energetically. Then, with much unnecessary flair, he pulled out a pokeball and tossed it into the arena.

"GO!"

A small, human-shaped pokemon emerged in a flash of brilliant white light. It had dull gray skin, large red eyes, and a body seemingly made of muscle. "Machop!" it cried before flipping its nonexistent hair and taking a battle stance.

Lia's face twitched slightly in amusement before tossing out a pokeball of her own. The pokemon that materialized was Kou, the Combusken cracking her claws in anticipation.

"Com! Bus busk ken!" _'Finally! A real fight!'_ She too took a battle stance, true to her fighting element. Her beak twitched upward in a wry smile.

Lia pointed a finger at the Machop and shouted, "Okay Kou, let's start out strong! Peck!"

The bird stared at her trainer awkwardly for a second, as if to say 'Do I look like I can still use that attack?'. After all, Kou was considerably bigger and less bird-like, and a Peck would be hard to pull off. Still, she readied herself and lunged for her opponent.

"Like, don't let it hit you dude! Dodge and, like, use Karate Chop!" Brawly called out.

The Machop did as commanded, leaping out of Kou's way and retaliating with a swift chop to Kou's back. The bird slammed to the ground, but upon bouncing up again, got her feet underneath her and lashed out with her claw, scratching the Machop's side. The two sprung apart, Machop clutching his side and Kou bracing herself against the ground with one arm.

Darren gave a low whistle and remarked, "That's impressive. To think that Kou would fight back without being commanded…"

Lia smiled, "That's because she's a natural born fighter. Okay Kou, Double Kick!"

Kou pushed off the ground and launched herself at her opponent. The first kick missed him by a hair, but the second roundabout kick knocked the Machop solidly into the ground. Kou skidded back in the sand from the recoil and threw herself into another kick attack.

"Like Machop! Get a hold on her and use, like, Seismic Toss!" Brawly called to his pokemon with a lifeguard megaphone that appeared out of nowhere.

While Lia and Darren tried to figure out where exactly that megaphone came from, Machop grabbed a hold of Kou's conveniently incoming leg. Gripping her ankle tightly, Machop spun in a circle faster and faster, Kou screeching curses in her language the whole time. When he finally let go, the bird flew into the wall and cracked it, tumbling to the ground in an awkward heap.

"Good Machop! Now, like, finish her!" Brawly called through the megaphone, the metallic screech of it making everyone wince.

Machop nodded and ran for Kou, who was clutching her aching head. Machop's footsteps were loud. Very loud, in fact. That made her angry. Really angry. Angry enough to scream at the top of her lungs. Problem was, she was a fire-type, so screaming was usually associated with blasts of fire, which was precisely what happened.

"COMBUSKEN!!!!" _'SHUT UP!!!'_ she yelled, her voice accompanied by a gigantic burst of flame that engulfed Machop completely.

Lia whimpered and shielded her face from the heat, red and yellow spots blurring her vision – she could feel it from where she was standing. Kou's pokeball was still gripped tightly in her hand, as she was going to recall Kou to rest her head. So much for that idea.

When the fire cleared, Kou was left to stare bewildered at her path of destruction. The sand in front of her had all turned to glass in a straight line to where the burnt, twitching Machop lay. "Com…busken?" _'I…won?'_

Brawly blinked out of his temporary daze and returned Machop. "Impressive." he chuckled. "But can you handle this? Go Meditite!"

The pokeball spun out into the arena and burst open to reveal a small, monkey-like pokemon. Its hands and feet were pressed together and it was floating several inches above the ground. Its eyes opened halfway, glowing blue…it was a psychic. Fighting and psychic, if Brawly stayed true to his gym.

Lia frowned and held out Kou's pokeball, saying, "Hey Kou, this battle isn't for you. You won't do well against psychics."

The beam of ruby light was sent out, but Kou nimbly dodged it and smirked – she wasn't going in yet. Lia frowned worriedly at the thin trickle of blood that was running down her starter's forehead as the bird stood unsteadily on her feet.

"W-well…if you really want to…use Peck!" Lia commanded.

Kou launched herself at the Meditite with an attack more like a Body Slam than a Peck, but it was once again dodged and punished with a Karate Chop. Kou got to her feet quick enough to barely dodge a second attack.

"Meditite, don't let up the offense!"

"Kou close the gap! Fury Swipes!"

The commands were called in rapid succession, Lia's call more frantic than Brawly's. Meditite began to charge and attack, but quickly switched to defense when Kou jumped wildly at him, claws bared. His eyes widened as he was forced to get his feet on the ground to dodge the attack, and even then he only dodged two swipes. The next claw lightly grazed his forehead and the last cut a gash across him and sent the psychic sprawling back.

Lia called, "Good Kou! You're faster than his psychic defense!"

"But how long can she keep it up?" Darren mumbled. "Honestly Lia, just return the idiot. Don't be so weak to her demands."

Brawly cut off the redheaded boy with a shout of, "Meditite, use Headbutt now! Then go in for another Karate Chop!"

"Kou, Ember!" Lia countered. _'He seems to be holding off on the psychic attacks, so we have to beat him before he brings them out…'_

Meditite lowered his head and slammed into Kou, knocking the wind out of the fire pokemon and leaving her Ember attack no more than a few glowing ashes. Kou brought a claw into Meditite's gut to push him away, then retaliated with a 'Headbutt' of her own. The pokemon sprung apart, each looking considerably worse for the wear.

Lia opened her mouth for another command, but Brawly was quicker on the draw. "Meditite – Confusion!"

Glowing blue eyes imposed themselves on Lia's mind. She was too dazed to shout commands or even to recall Kou. The glow was all that existed…

Lia was snapped out of her daze by a strangled shriek by Kou. She was on her knees, clutching her head between her claws and shaking. The bird coughed once or twice, blood tricking out of her beak as well. Finally, she crumpled over unceremoniously.

"KOU!!!" Lia cried out, running onto the field to her starter. She knelt by the bird's prone form and gently turned her over. Kou's eyes were still open, and she was weakly scowling.

"Co…com bus…ken co…" _'I…I lost. D-damn…'_

Lia face showed a shadow of a smile before tapping the pokeball lightly to Kou's forehead and watched her disappear into the red light. She stood and walked back to her place, her eyes blank as she returned Kou's ball to her satchel.

She then tapped Aurora lightly on the head, causing the psychic to sigh and float out to the arena. She landed delicately and brushed errant sand from her legs before meeting the Meditite's level gaze.

Brawly grinned widely, not intimidated in the least. "Meditite, go with Headbutt!"

Meditite gathered his strength and began a rather slow charge towards Aurora, allowing Aurora to simply jump vertically to dodge. Her hands touched Meditite lightly as she passed, making it seem like a simple game of leapfrog.

"Aurora, Confusion!" "Meditite, counter with your own Confusion!"

Aurora's eyes glowed blue as she sent out the psychic energy rings, with Meditite doing the same, albeit slower. The rings met in midair and melded together, creating sparks as each psychic tried to force the energy in the opposite direction. Each was visibly straining against the power.

Finally…"Ra!" Aurora lashed out mentally, forcing both Confusions to the weakened Meditite and throwing him to the wall. The pokemon was K.O.'ed before it even hit the ground.

Brawly recalled Meditite, chuckling, "Well Meditite, you did pretty awesome." He withdrew his final pokeball and called out, "Now things are, like, serious! Makuhita, you're the last line of defense, buddy!"

Lia stood calmly and watched as the gold and black sumo wrestler pokemon emerged from his ball and gave Aurora a cheeky grin. Well, calm might not have been the word for what Lia was feeling – it might have been closer to numb. She shook her head to clear the cobwebs, and looked backed up with a more normal, worried face.

"Aurora, use Confusion, full power!" she commanded with a horizontal sweep of the arm for emphasis.

Aurora nodded and shouted a little, "Ra!" as she sent out the blue rings. Makuhita took a fighting stance and waited for Brawly's command.

"Makuhita – Endure it dude!" Brawly called out through his megaphone.

Makuhita smirked and bore down, tightening all the muscles in its body. The psychic attack pushed him back a few feet but did a lot less damage than normal.

"Now Makuhita, Take Down!"

Before Lia could get a word in, the pokemon flew at Aurora and slammed into her, sending her sprawling back. The psychic sat up slowly and shook her head – curse her poor defense.

"Aurora, go with another Confusion!" Lia called. She bit her lip – they were in trouble. Confusion was the only offensive move Aurora move, and they seemed to be stuck in a rut. She could only pray that type advantage would carry them through…

Aurora got to her feet and executed yet another Confusion attack, and this one hit its mark. Makuhita fell over and rolled a few times before getting up, breathing wearily.

Brawly frowned for what seemed like the first time that entire battle. "Well, we can have that happening…Makuhita! Like, use Seismic Toss and, like, aim for the wall!"

Makuhita didn't need to be told twice. He charged towards Aurora and grabbed one of her slender arms and began spinning her in circles. The two became a blur at the center of the arena.

Lia grimaced – this hadn't ended well for Kou. If only there was a way to…her eyes widened – she had it.

Brawly finally commanded, "Okay Makuhita – let go!"

In the same instant, Lia called, "Aurora – hold on!"

The result was catastrophic. Makuhita, upon letting go of Aurora with both arms, found one of his arms still attached to Aurora. He only saw her smirk devilishly for a second before he was jerked after her and they both were flung into the wall. They crashed at a lower speed, making less of an impact on the battered gym wall.

Both pokemon lay still for a second, then Aurora got to her feet, raring to go. Makuhita, however, sat up groggily before tipping back over, K.O.'ed. Aurora blinked at the pokemon, then at herself as she started to glow. She flailed her arms frantically as the glowing sparkles started at her feet and spiraled upward – she seemed oblivious to the fact she was evolving. By the time she ran back to Lia, she was already a Kirlia.

'_Lia, Lia! Something's weird! I…I…'_ She paused to look at herself. She tugged at the skirt she acquired, bent her newfound knees, and felt the two plates on the top of her head. She twirled around for good measure, adding, _'I…evolved?'_

Lia smiled and laughed, "You sure did. Don't look so surprised."

Aurora pouted and climbed back up onto Lia's shoulder. The trainer waved her arms wildly to regain her balance, then struggled to her feet.

"Aurora, I…think you're a little too big for this now…" she wheezed as she made her way over to Brawly. The psychic just hummed and clung tightly to her trainer's shoulder.

Brawly laughed and grabbed Lia's hand, shaking it so hard she nearly was thrown off balance. "Wow! You're like, the queen of unconventionality, dudette!"

He gave her the bronze, fist shaped badge and a small CD. "Okay, like, he's the Knuckle Badge, and here's, like, the TM for Bulk Up! That way your pokemon can get totally buff, like me."

Lia laughed uneasily, "Uh yeah. Eheheh…thanks."

The trainer walked back to Darren, who was leaning against the wall, sleeping. Hikage was looking pointedly away, clearly annoyed with his lax trainer.

Lia poked him in the side, whining, "Ne? Darren-chan, was it really that boring for you?"

The redhead responded by falling over as far as humanly possible before straightening up and looking like he had never slept.

"Over already is it?" he yawned, stretching his arms above his head. "Alright, let's get going."

The walk out of the gym was fairly uneventful, save the attacks of the few trainers that they missed on the way there. Darren attempted to pickpocket a few of the unconscious trainers, but Lia made sure to keep him on track. After locating Briney, the three walked to the dock.

"So Darren, where do you plan to go after you get to Slateport?" Lia asked as he jumped into the boat.

"Well, actually…" He held out his hand to help her into the boat, which she took gratefully. She jumped in beside him as he said, "I was thinking that I might go with you."

"EH?" Lia exclaimed as he went about finding a comfortable place to sit. "But I thought you were a free wanderer? Won't my journey be too boring for you?"

Darren tilted his head slightly towards her, smirking, "Well, a little structure wouldn't hurt. Besides…" He tilted his head back further to look towards the horizon.

"Hikage said he got the feeling that something big was going to happen to you. I've decided to see what he was talking about."

He sat back up and smiled, "So I'm following you. Hope that's not a problem, but if it is, too bad."

Lia laughed and took a seat. "Well, don't expect too much. I'm just a normal girl on a normal journey. I'm not looking for anything extraordinary – quite the opposite really. It's more of a quest for normality." She smiled at him.

"Nothing will happen to me."

Aurora and Hikage looked at each other briefly as the boat began to move, then their gazes slowly moved upward to the sky and the one that governed it, but the clouds gave them no answer.

-----------------------------------

Oh the drama. Anyway, reviews make me so happy I could giggle girlishly. Lucky for you that you don't hear that.


	13. Chapter 12: Of the Pokemon Fan Club

Well, hello all! --dodges rotten fruit-- I know, I know, I'm sorry! But, if it's any consolation, this chapter's over 5000 words long.

Disclaimer: I own a copy of Pokemon Emerald. I beat the Elite Four, wooh! But, I own no pokemon.

------------------------------------------------------------

The ship swayed slowly as the sea grew shallower of the shores of Slateport Beach. Captain Briney looked towards the beach, then called to the deck below.

"Laddie! Wake up the young lass, won't you?"

The mentioned boy was Darren, who looked up lazily from his seat on the railing. A headband holding felt Poochyena ears was buried in his bright red hair, and his gold-brown eyes regarded the old man wearily. He finally sighed and jumped onto the deck, brushing off his dark grey shirt, jeans, and Poochyena tail.

He walked to a small hollow in the boat, a place meant for storage. He squatted down and peered into the relative darkness. He sighed again and dragged Aurora out into the daylight to get to his target.

"Oi…Lia. Get up, we're almost there." he said, grabbing one of her wrists and dragging it out.

Lia soundlessly pulled her arm back in – it seemed she was curled up in the shade, sound asleep. Her bandana, shoes, socks, and gloves were in a neat pile next to her, Faelia sitting on top of them.

Darren rocked on his heels and scratched his head, sighing, "Well, since she's asleep, I might as well take a few of her extra Potions and…"

Lia's hand shot out and grabbed his ankle. "Don't even try it."

"Hey, hey, I was kidding! Well, mostly." he laughed as Lia crawled out of the crawlspace.

The girl stretched and searched for a brush and a couple of hair pins in her bag while her Zigzagoon struggled to pull the socks onto her trainer's feet. She found a rather painful looking Quilfish brush and threw it back in, finally retrieving a Jolteon hair brush and carefully brushing her hair. Sweeping her hair up into a loose bun, she secured it with the tiny red pins.

"Hey Darren, did you eat yet?" she inquired as she took her shoes from her Zigzagoon.

"Briney said I had to catch a meal if I wanted to eat." he grumbled as he packed a few of his things back into his backpack.

"Well, maybe if you didn't eat everything yesterday we wouldn't have this problem…"

"How was I supposed to know that it would take us nearly three days to get here?"

Lia sighed and stuffed her sleeping bag into its incredibly compact case and tossed it into her bag. She zipped it up and slipped it on as she stood, shading her eyes from the sun so she could look at the beach.

"Wow, what a beach! The beach in Olivine is nothing compared to this!" she gasped.

'_Looks pretty crowded though…'_ Aurora mused as she swung her legs on the railing.

Indeed, there were at least a hundred people milling about on Slateport Beach, sunbathing, swimming, and building castles. A few were swimming in the restricted dock area and shrieked when Briney drove the boat there anyway.

"There be a reason that it's restricted, laddies!" Briney chuckled as he swerved the boat side to side to dispel all the errant swimmers.

The boat finally came to rest at the tiny dock, allowing Darren, Lia, Aurora and Faelia to get off. Lia looked up at the old man as he prepared for departure once more.

"Thanks for all your help Captain Briney! I don't know how to repay you…" Lia called up.

"No thanks be necessary, lassie! Ye saved Peeko, so that's thanks enough!" Briney laughed.

The boat lurched away from the dock and turned around slowly, finally picking up speed and heading back towards Dewford. Lia didn't have time to see all this, though, as Darren's stomach grumbled rather loudly.

"I take it you're hungry." Lia commented dryly as he looked around for food.

Darren held up a hand to silence her, then walked over to a sunbathing woman. After a short conversation that involved a lot of pointless laughter, Darren returned with a small object in his hands.

"The woman said that there's a Beach House up ahead that sells food. And…ah, it looks like there's enough here to pay for a decent meal." he said as he poured coins out into his hand.

Lia gaped at the sight, then pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Please tell me that isn't her wallet."

"It is."

"Do you even plan on returning it?"

"No." he replied plainly. "But don't complain to the one that supplies the cash. Now, let's go."

They walked across the beach, squeezing past the crowd. Lia held Faelia tightly while Aurora rode on her trainer's shoulder as always. She glanced nervously at the woman as they rushed by, but she was sleeping obliviously.

They found the entrance to the Beach House impassable due to the sheer number of people, but this apparently wasn't a problem for Darren. He simply grabbed a man by his shoulders and used him as a battering ram to push his way through the crowd. Lia quickly grabbed onto the back of his shirt so they wouldn't be separated. Just before they reached the front, Darren turned the man sharply to the right and cut a left so the man would never know who was pushing him.

Lia squeezed past her friend and ended up right in front of a makeshift stage. There were two people on the stage – a young boy with a blue inner tube around his waist, and a teenaged girl with short, dark-brown hair. She was wearing beach attire like a tank top and shorts, and dark sunglasses shielded her eyes.

The most interesting thing was that there were two pokemon standing between them, and Lia suddenly realized that there was a pokemon battle going on that was locked in a stalemate. The girl's pokemon, a fluffy brown Eevee, was struggling to tackle the boy's Azurill, whose tiny feet and tail were planted firmly in the ground.

"Vwee!" the Eevee cried as she gritted her teeth and finally sent the Azurill flying into its trainer, knocking them both off the stage. A heavyset man climbed onto the stage, grabbing the girl's wrist and holding it up in the air, seeming not to care about the boy as he was slowly swallowed by the crowd.

"I hereby declare Yuka the winner of this battle!" he screamed over the crowd, which instantly burst into applause.

He handed her a small three pack of soda while shaking her hand vigorously, then turned to a microphone that he pulled onto the stage.

"Yes, thank you, thank you. For all of you that are new, welcome to the Beach House – cold sodas and hot battles! We just witnessed a blazin' battle won by Miss Yuka here!" he screeched into the mike.

He pointed at Yuka, who made a slightly disgusted face at his advertising announcement. He seemed not to notice and continued, "But…I think we can make it even hotter! Am I right?"

The audience shrieked back a concise, "YEAH!!!" as Lia winced and Darren took on an expression much like Yuka's.

"Yes, I think it can get scorchin' up in here! All we need is someone to battle the lovely Miss Yuka, and not only will they win our respect, buuuuut…." He held a six-pack of pop in the air. "An unprecedented six – yes, six! Six free – yes, free – cans of our famous Dr. Pelliper! 15 of 23 flavors included."

The crowd shrieked again, "I WANT IT!!! I HAVE NEVER WANTED ANYTHING MORE IN MY LIFE! GIVE IT TO ME!"

The man, riding on the excitement, shouted, "So who wants to battle Yuka?"

The room fell eerily silent. A few shuffles and a couple of awkward coughs filled the air as everyone tried to look away from the man's beady eyes. Yuka snorted a laugh behind her tanned hand. Finally, Darren grabbed Lia's arm and held it in the air.

"She'll do it."

Lia instantly opened her mouth to protest, but in the split second before she spoke the crowd roared to life again, taking hold of her and lifting her off her feet. With her feet dangling at least four feet off the ground, she yelled above the crowd.

"Put me down! I don't want to battle! I don't wanna! D-damn you Darren!" she shrieked, pointing at him with an expression of despairing fury. He smiled innocently as she was lifted onstage.

Lia landed awkwardly on the stage, Aurora tumbling off her shoulder and Faelia whimpering. The man helped her up, his hand sweaty and grimy from the heat.

"Well, it seems we have a taker here! What's your name little miss?" he laughed, shoving the mike in her face.

She pushed it away as politely as she could and responded, "L…Lia Makura…"

"Well, well little Ms. Lia, if you would just stand right here…yes, stay there. Now, choose a pokemon to battle against Ms. Yuka." He made sure she was settled before moving to the back of the stage.

"Now this will be a one-on-one battle, no substitutions. There will be no dirty fighting, okay ladies?" he announced, to which both girls nodded. "Then…GO!"

The crowd screamed, drowning out all of the girl's words – they couldn't even hear each other. Lia still set Faelia on the ground and spoke into her ear.

"Okay Faelia, this battle is for you. I know you haven't battled much in terms of trainer battles, but it's not that different than fighting against wild pokemon, okay?" she reassured the pokemon.

The little Zigzagoon barked happily and wagged her bottle brush tail before bounding out to the center of the stage. She came to a stop in front of the Eevee, who regarded her coolly. Faelia simply grinned with all of her sharply pointed teeth.

Yuka's command came first – "Eefi, a Tackle attack now!" Her voice was loud and rather harsh compared to her exterior.

"Evade it Faelia!" Lia shouted above the crowd, her voice already straining from exertion.

Whether she heard the command or not, Faelia bounced lightly to the side as Eefi charged, leaving the Eevee to skid slightly on the smooth stage. The fox charged again, but Faelia bounced away again. Without commands from either trainer, this game of cat and mouse continued…or rather, fox and raccoon.

After Eefi was sidestepped for the fifth or so time, Yuka angrily shouted, "Forget it Eefi – switch to Take Down immediately!"

The Eevee complied, charging up and launching herself at Faelia. The raccoon couldn't dodge this one, so both pokemon went flying roughly back, Faelia more injured than Eefi. The Eevee got up, dazed.

"Pick up the slack Eefi – use Tackle!" Yuka shouted another command that was drowned by the crowd by the time it reached Lia.

Lia still picked up on the attack by Eefi's sudden charge and shouted, "Faelia, Growl!" Yuka's aggression left her little room for offense.

The raccoon took in a deep breath of the sweaty, salty air and let out a growl loud enough to still the crowd for a few seconds – they were stunned at the pokemon's lung capacity. Needless to say, Eefi skidded to a stop, her ears pinned tightly to her head.

"Now Faelia, Tackle!" Lia shouted before the crowd resumed its cheers.

The pokemon did as commanded, building up speed and slamming into the Eevee, sending it rolling back a few times. She finally stopped rolling and looked around, dazed once more.

Yuka ripped off her sunglasses in irritation, green eyes blazing. "Eefi, Secret Power!"

"Vwee!" she barked, flattening to the ground and thrashing her tail side to side. Small glowing orbs quickly appeared around her, then started revolving around her at a blinding speed. Within the next second, she barked again, "Vwee!" and the orbs were shot like bullets at Faelia.

The small raccoon was blasted back, rolling over and over again until she came to a rest at Lia's feet. She struggled to her stubby feet, Lia helping her only a little. The trainer whispered something into the Zigzagoon's ear, to which she smiled devilishly.

Yuka frowned at the transaction from across the stage. "Eefi, don't let her get away! Take Down, right away!" she commanded.

The Eevee charged, but strangely enough, Faelia came right at her as well. This didn't deter Eefi – after all, she was as big as, if not bigger, than her. But right before impact, Faelia skittered to the side and clamped down on Eefi's fluffy tail.

"VWEE!" shrieked Eefi.

The next few seconds were spent with Eefi thrashing around wildly to dislodge the raccoon, but Faelia held on tight. The Eevee seemed to be doing more harm to herself than good, and by the time Faelia let go she was exhausted.

"Eefi, Take-" "Sand Attack, Faelia."

Lia cut off Yuka's command, and consequentially Eefi was left to sputter in the cloud of dust and sand that Faelia kicked up off the stage. A few people in the audience coughed from the dust, one screeched, "MY ALLERGIES!" and promptly passed out.

Yuka coughed as well, and managed to hack out, "Eefi! Secret Power!" The tide of the battle had changed already – it wouldn't be long now.

Eefi prepared herself, the orbs glowing menacingly. But just as she launch the attack, Lia's voice broke above the roar of the crowd.

"Faelia, CUT!"

The Zigzagoon jumped up, dodging orb after orb. A good many still seared her coat, one even blasted her leg, causing her to limp. But nothing could stop the raccoon from rushing the Eevee and slashing down with her claws. Eefi stood shakily, eyes wide open as a little line of blood showed through her fur. Then…thump. Eefi fell to the ground as Faelia sat, exhausted.

"LIA WINS!" screeched the man into his microphone. The crowd erupted into cheers of congratulations as Faelia pathetically limped back to Lia, whining.

The trainer patted the Zigzagoon affectionately on the head, then returned her. Suddenly there was a shadow cast over her. She looked up to see Yuka scowling down at her.

"I suppose you think you're all that, don't you? Well, don't let it go to your head." She unceremoniously dropped 200 P on the floor, the coins rolling everywhere – her earnings, Lia supposed. She gathered the gold coins quickly, lest they roll into the crowd and be lost forever. By the time she looked up again, Yuka had disappeared into the crowd. She stood, saddened – she didn't want to make enemies. She had enough already.

The man grabbed Lia's wrist with his grubby hand and held it in the air, screeching something incomprehensible into the mike. He finished with a laugh and shoved the promised soda into her arms, nearly knocking her off her feet. Darren somehow struggled onto the stage, using Aurora as a help. He swiped the mike from the man and began his own speech.

"Yes, yes, thank you Slateport! Well, we really must be going, I'm terribly sorry. Goodbye." he laughed.

He suddenly grabbed Lia's wrist away from the man, exchanging it for the mike.

"Ready for a stage dive?"

Lia didn't get a chance to respond before Darren jumped off, taking Lia with him. The hands of the crowd came up, catching them and carrying out the door. Lia clung to Aurora in terror, curling up in a ball to make it easier on the crowd. At the door, the people lowered them to the ground, but their attention was quickly diverted by the next battle.

"Well, that was fun." Darren laughed, opening a can of Dr. Pelliper and chugging it down.

Lia sighed and released Aurora from her death grip, so the Kirlia took to floating by her trainer's left shoulder. The girl suddenly slapped her palm against her forehead as if she remembered something. She rummaged around in her bag and pulled out a rolled up blueprint.

"We still have to deliver the Devon Goods to Capt. Stern." she said, unfurling the paper and staring at it.

Darren leaned over to look at it, then shrugged, "Well, technically you're the one who has to go, but I suppose I'll help you. You probably don't know where the shipyard is."

"Shipyard?" Lia inquired as the ground slowly transitioned from sand to stone.

He finished his soda and chucked it towards a trash can, somehow missing by a long shot and nailing a tuber's head directly. The boy fell over and twitched, but Darren didn't seem to notice.

"Yeah, they build ships in Slateport, you know? If you're looking for a captain that needs blueprints, that's probably the place to go, don't you think?" he explained as they passed the sign that announced their arrival in Slateport.

Just inside the city limits was a creaky wooden building with disassembled ships littering the yard. Lia and Darren stepped inside to find that it wasn't much better looking there either. It smelled overwhelming of salt (the whole city did) and there was a large skeleton of a ship in the middle of the gigantic room.

"Geez, I can't believe this place is actually responsible for half the ships in Hoenn." Darren muttered, knocking on the wooden frame.

The ship frame gave a creaking noise and swayed dangerously, a couple of planks falling off and clattering to the ground. Darren and Lia took a few steps back, Darren muttering a curse under his breath.

"Well, that was strange. We should-" "HEY! What are you kids doing here?" yelled a voice from upstairs.

Darren cursed again as they turned to face the man that ran down the stairs, an angry look on his face. He stopped in front of them and leaned against the wall, breathing heavily from the effort.

"What do you want?" he wheezed, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

Lia spoke up, "Ah, sorry! We were just trying to deliver the Devon Goods to Captain Stern!" She held out the blueprints to him to prove it.

The man scratched his chin, the anger fading. "Stern, eh? Well, he ain't here right now… If I'm rememberin' right, he wanted to check out the new museum."

Darren took back the blueprints hastily and said, "Well, thank you for your time. We really have to go…"

He grabbed Lia's arm and spun her around, pulling her towards the exit. "Come on, let's go…before he finds out that we broke the ship…" he mumbled.

The two made it out into the sunlight without further trouble, but they didn't have much luck in finding the museum. After all, it was a new building, so Darren hadn't seen it before, and Slateport was a huge city.

Aurora sat on Lia's head, keeping a look out. She suddenly pushed down on Lia's bandana and pointed up ahead. _'Hey look! There's a whole bunch of people over there!'_ she said.

It was true – in front of a sparkling blue building was a crowd of people, all standing behind a news reporter and her cameraman. Lia and Darren walked closer, and they could hear snatches of the report.

"We're here today to announce the grand opening of the Slateport Oceanic Museum. As you probably know, Slateport is the second largest port in Hoenn, second only to Lilycove. As a result, scientists from all over the world…"

The woman trailed off, staring blankly at the screen behind the camera with a flashing LIVE! symbol. Behind her, being broadcasted to millions of people, was a boy making faces at the camera. A half-eyed, redhead boy…

"Darren!" Lia hissed under her breath from off screen. "Get off camera! What are you doing?"

He pulled down his eyelid and stuck out his tongue on camera. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

The woman's eye twitched as she struggled to continue her report, but Darren's antics didn't stop. He continuously walked back and forth across the camera's range, 'accidentally' tripping over her microphone cord. Finally, the harassed woman couldn't take it anymore.

"GET OFF SCREEN, DAMMIT! WE'RE TRYING TO RECORD A SHOW!" she shrieked, pointing an accusing finger at him.

The crowd fell absolutely silent. One cameraman timidly peeked out from behind the rolling camera and said meekly, "Uh, Sarah? We're still live…"

Sarah the news reporter paled, dropping her mike with a loud clang. She opened her mouth in what was sure to be a horrendous shriek.

The rest of the viewing audience experienced a 'technical difficulty'.

Lia and Darren somehow managed to disappear into the crowd despite the murderous rant of the reporter. Lia half-heartedly tried to scold him, but internally she was cracking up. It was funny – no, hilarious – but he really couldn't be doing things like that.

"Really Darren…that reporter looked like she was going to kill you…" Lia chuckled.

"She probably would have. But, the point is…I'm hungry. There's a marketplace. Let's eat." Darren shrugged.

Lia looked ahead to see the bustling Slateport Marketplace. Colorful stands lined the streets, selling everything from fresh kelp (It's really alive!©) to Goldeen shaped sandwiches to shards of every color.

Darren took half the Dr. Pelliper and said, "I'm going to go buy something. Use the money I gave you earlier to buy us lunch. And don't buy anything with Aguav Berry in it – I'm allergic."

Lia gave him a strange look as he laughed and walked away, but she simply sighed and did as he asked. She bought enough sandwiches for all of their pokemon, specifically avoiding the Aguav dip for Darren's sake. Once all the food was gathered, she set out for a good spot to eat, conveniently finding Darren sitting on a picnic table.

"Does it really take that long to get food? In all that time I got this." He held out a sharp shard that was tinted a deep blue. "A blue shard. Mooched it off of a kid who thought it was a piece of glass. I gave him the Dr. Pelliper."

Lia sighed as she laid out the food. "You shouldn't manipulate little kids like that. One of these days it'll come back to you."

Darren shrugged yet again. "I've had my fair share of being manipulated, and now I'm paying the world back for it. Hey, this sandwich better not have mayonnaise in it."

His abrupt change in subject made Lia lose her train of thought completely, and she spent the rest of lunch trying to find it again. She set about releasing the pokemon and feeding them, still trying to remember what it was that Darren said. However, she was soon distracted by the loud music being played by a nearby radio…

"Hey, they're playing Calling! It's that new song by Blast Burn." she exclaimed.

Darren looked at her blankly, merely raising an eyebrow. "And?"

"And?!? Blast Burn is the most popular band in Johto! They're on tour now, and there's a concert in Lilycove. But it's a long time from now…" she sighed.

Darren thoughtfully took a swig of his Dr. Pelliper. "Well…at the rate we're going, we might make it…but that's too far in the future for me to think about. I live in the present."

Lia sighed, "Don't you ever think ahead?"

"Only when it's useful, and it has yet to be." He chucked the can at a garbage can, missing yet again and hitting another tuber. "Let's go."

"Where?" Lia inquired as she packed up. She attempted to return all the pokemon, but Kou stubbornly stayed out.

"Com bus ken ken! Ken bus comb comb COMB!" _'Let me stay out! I was in that cramped pokeball for three fricken' days!'_

She ended in a huff and crossed her long arms, glaring at Aurora who was snickering at her from Lia's shoulder. The trainer blinked – it was true that she hadn't released Kou since they got on the boat…

"Alright, alright, you can stay out. But don't cause any trouble, okay?" Lia conceded.

Kou scoffed and turned away, happy to get some fresh air but refusing to show it. Lia finally finished cleaning up (Darren didn't even attempt to help her) and returned to her previous question.

"So, where are we going Darren?" she inquired, tagging along after him.

The redhead replied, "To the PFC of course – The Pokemon Fan Club. We can't get into the museum because that reporter is still there, so we might as well go."

Lia glanced in the direction of the museum – yep, Sarah was still there. But the composition of the crowd had changed…it was now dominated by many blue-clad figures, all shuffling about nervously and suspiciously. Before she could give the matter much more thought, Kou kicked her in the shin.

"Com bus ken." _'We're here. Quit gawking.'_ she laughed as Lia hopped up and down on one foot, clutching her shin in pain.

Darren sighed, "Tsk tsk, what an ill-mannered Combusken. Really Lia, you need to tame her more."

Kou glared up at Darren as they entered the brightly colored building, and continued to do so long after he stopped caring. The interior was a pale red color with murals of pokemon painted all over the wall. The furniture also held a pokemon theme, and there were shelves upon shelves of pokemon plushies. An older man was sitting on a Dewgong-themed sofa, beckoning them in with a wave of his hand.

"Welcome to the Pokemon Fan Club!" he laughed, earning needless applause from the other patrons. He silenced the crowd with a quick motion, then continued, "I'm glad you could join us. I'm the president of this lovely little club here. Please enjoy yourselves, and Tea Time with Clefairy is in one hour, if you care to stay."

Both Lia and Darren's left eye twitched. "No…no thank you…" they muttered simultaneously.

The man sighed exaggeratedly with a smile, "Fine, fine, suit yourselves. You're just missing out on some lovely chai tea."

The president's attention was quickly diverted, and everyone started to move about. There were camera crews in here too, and reporters were flitting about. One stopped Lia and shoved a mike in her face.

"Excuse me, do you have a few moments?" she asked as politely as possible.

Lia pushed the mike a few inches away from her face, replying, "I suppose…"

"Good. You see, the Hoenn Geographic Channel is doing a special on all there is to see in Slateport City. We're the PFC crew, and we're trying to gather a few interviews from you loyal pokemon lovers." she rambled, smiling widely for the blinking camera.

Lia wondered briefly if she should tell the reporter that she wasn't in the club, but she was cut off by the first question.

"So, it seems you love your Combusken here. What's her name?" she laughed, patting Kou on the head rather roughly. The pokemon began to growl, her claws fisting and relaxing compulsively.

"Uh…her name's Kou." Lia said hurriedly, scooting Kou away from the offending hand. Of all the pokemon to pick…

"Ah! That's a great name! She's your starter, huh? What about her attracted you to her? What let you know she was going to be your very first partner?"

Lia laughed nervously – she surely wasn't going to say that it was because she felt sorry for her, even if it was the truth. She quickly stuttered an acceptable answer.

"Well…er…her fighting spirit, I guess…" Darren interrupted, leaning on Lia's shoulder and adding, "It couldn't possibly be anything else. Really, this pokemon has very few things to praise."

Kou twitched and screeched, "COMBUSKEN!!!" _'I'LL KILL YOU!!!'_ She leapt up and attacked Darren, but he merely laughed, caught her, and threw her over his head. Kou wasn't done however, and she spent a good amount of time chasing after Darren. The interview continued as though nothing happened despite Lia's worried expression.

"So…what do pokemon mean to you?" the reporter shouted over Kou's frenzied yells.

Lia blinked – they were asking her philosophical questions while her starter was causing general havoc? Still, she replied with as much thought she could give it.

"Hmm…well, I guess they're kinda like siblings. We fight and we play, we laugh and we cry, but we always have a good time together." She smiled sheepishly. "Or something like that."

The reporter nodded understandingly and thanked Lia for her time. Once the girl had caught and restrained the raging Combusken, the president called them over with a laugh. Darren and Lia hesitated, but he continued laughing, so they finally had to sit down.

He offered them chai tea after all and spoke to them in a grand manner, "Now tell me my children…have you ever thought about becoming coordinators? Now, now, don't be shy, tell Uncle President all about it."

Lia responded, "Um, no, not really. There aren't any contest halls in Johto. I hadn't heard about them until I went to secondary school."

Darren thought for a second, leaning his head back. "I never considered it. I wonder…what are those things about?"

Lia saw something strange in Darren's eyes – interest, perhaps? The president chuckled and handed them each a ticket. Lia stared at hers – it was a glossy ticket with five ribbons on it in colors of red, blue, green, yellow, and pink. The words 'Slateport Hyper Rank Contest!' were embossed in gold foil with and stamped with the official Hoenn Contest League crest.

"Those are tickets to the next contest here in Slateport. They're great seats, and I think you'll really enjoy it. I would go myself, but I'm swamped! Really, after Tea Time with Clefairy, there's Story Time with Snorlax…" the president added with a sigh.

Darren turned his ticket over, but it was the same on the back. "When exactly does this contest start?"

The president laughed, "Oh, in about…two minutes. RUN CHILDREN, RUN!!!"

Lia and Darren started to their feet, Lia barely taking enough time to gather Kou in her arms before they began to run against the crowd.

"Do…you…think…we'll…make it?" Lia gasped as she squeezed past a man and his Cyndaquil.

"Shut…up…and…run!" Darren hissed as they broke free from the crowd and stumbled out the door.

The rusted bells of Slateport chimed two o' clock as the two trainers ran towards the large Contest Hall in the north, Kou flailing her arms and trailing behind them.

-------------------------------------

Did you all like it? I hope so, as it took me forever...as always, review!


	14. Chapter 13: Of Contests and Museums

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you. Yes, there actually is a new chapter in this story. I won't let it die! It's just that school has kicked me while I was down...

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. I do own a copy of Pokemon Diamond, though, and have all three starters. Believe it.

-----------------------------------------------

"Darren…this place is huge."

"No dip Sherlock. Let's go inside."

Darren and Lia stood at the entrance of the Slateport Hyper Contest Hall, watching people run in and out. The young girl didn't know it was possible to even have this many people in a city – after all, the museum and PFC were packed as well, how could there be anybody left over?

Kou, heedless as usual, grabbed Lia's arms and pulled her, chiding noisily in her own language.

"Com? Bus ken ken ken!" _'Well? You were running out of that crazy place earlier, so why stop now?'_

"Kir ilia kir?" _'Uh…what kind of logic is that?'_ Aurora scoffed.

"Com bus bus ken?" _'You say something, punk?'_

'_Oh, punk, that's original.'_

"Kou, Aurora, stop bickering. We have get in there in the next…" Lia checked her Pokenav. "47 seconds." She sighed, "That's close to impossible."

Darren smirked, "Close being the key word there. Alright…let's go with Hikage."

He tossed out the pokeball, which released the black Kirlia in a flourish of sparkles. He looked up with half-lidded eyes and psychically spoke with Darren for a while. Then, with a nod of his head, he turned to the crowd.

"Kir." he sighed as he waved one of his arms. Several people in the crowd began to glow red, then shrieked as they were 'magically' lifted into the air. Before long, there was a perfectly clear path to the wide double doors at the other end of the hall.

"Well then," Darren laughed as he walked forward, "shall we go?"

Lia stared for a second, mouth slightly agape. She then shook her head – why should she be surprised? It was Darren, after all.

The two trainers made their way inside and were instantly overwhelmed by the bright lights and deafening roar of the crowd. It was almost a stadium-like set up, with a stage nearly as big an average house. The seat were cushioned and the floors carpeted – very high class. Surprisingly enough, their seats were fairly good ones, but Kou had to sit on the floor, as they only had two seats.

A neat looking woman stood onstage in a perfectly pressed red dress, a microphone in hand. Her smile was wide, perfect, and creepily unnatural, a fact not lost on Lia and Darren.

"Okay, it's now time for our third appeal in the Slateport Hyper Rank Cool Contest! Isn't that exciting?" she squealed. "It's time for the appeal of Olsen and Marianna the Mawile!"

An older man walked onstage, dressed in a smart black suit and a top hat upon his graying head. The Mawile appeared to be a girl, as a red scarf was tied around the base of her horn and the extra length tied the mouth shut.

Olsen took his spot in the ring as his Mawile walked out to the middle, untying her scarf and retying it around her shoulders. The crowd screeched and whistled – it seemed she was a favorite. The clock ticked down…three…two…one…

"Mari, go! Use Sandstorm!" Olsen called.

"Maw!" The pokemon leapt up and spun around quickly, spraying sand through the air until it was difficult to see through.

"Wow! What a Sandstorm!" the announcer cheered, not moving an inch despite the vicious storm.

"Mari, follow up with Earthquake, then Metal Sound!" the coordinator called.

The Mawile gave a quick nod before jumping in the air, doing a flip, and slamming the contest floor with her horn. The stand vibrated precariously as the floor split into tiers, raising a mountain of dirt in the center of the arena. The Metal Sound was a harsh, metallic screech emitted from her mouth/horn broke the mountain into jagged platforms.

Some members of the audience began shrieking in fear from how badly the stands were shaking. Lia worriedly clutched Darren's wrist, but he didn't react. Once the tremor was over, she released his hand and blushed. He simply raised his eyebrow and said nothing.

"Wow, Marianna's really 'tearing' up the floor!" The announcer laughed airily at her own joke.

"Mari, finish it up! Iron Tail!" He swiftly took off his top hat and tossed it into the air.

Mari's horn glowed bright white as she quickly scaled the mountain platforms. She jumped off the summit, flying high into the area before doing a flip and slamming down on the mountain. It crumbled instantly, leaving a cloud of dust floating in the air. The audience began to hack and choke – the dust was pretty thick… When everything settled, there were concentric circles of debris all around the Mawile, alternating between sand and rock. The top hat finally came down and Mari grabbed it, placing it securely on her head.

At first, there was silence. Then, all of a sudden…

"Oh my gosh, that was AMAZING!!!"

Urged on by the scream, the crowd erupted in cheers, screaming themselves hoarse. Mari took a quick bow before coolly striding back to Olsen. He patted her on the head gently before leaving the stage area.

"An amazing show from Olsen and Marianna, as usual. Our next contender…"

Lia didn't get a chance to hear the rest of the announcement, for Darren had suddenly stood and began to weave his way out of the crowd. Hikage stood up as well and began to float down.

"Hey Darren! Wait…wait up!" Lia called, barely audible over the crowd.

Darren, who was already at the bottom of the stairs, slumped his shoulders noticeably and stuffed his hands in his pockets, tapping his foot impatiently. Lia smiled and made her way down, glad that he had waited for her for once. Kou easily leapt down, seemingly surprised that she actually landed on her feet.

"Com bus com ken." _'Well, I couldn't do that before.'_

Aurora rolled her eyes and looked ready to make a smart comment, but Lia returned Kou before she got the chance.

"Come on guys, no fighting. Well, at least not in public…" Lia muttered as she reattached the pokeball to her satchel.

Darren gave her a very clear took-you-long-enough stare before leaving the contest area. She followed him into the lobby, where a large crowd of reporters had swarmed to Olsen. They were all speaking at once, flash bulbs continually blinking.

Lia looked up at Darren, who had narrowed his eyes. "You wanted to talk to him? It kinda looks like you'll have to wait-"

He suddenly cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "Hey, old man!"

The reporters, like Lia, had frozen with their mouths hanging open. The older man gave Darren an amused look.

"I want to talk to you." he said simply, returning his hands to his pockets.

Olsen smiled and said, "Very well." He turned to the reporters and said, "So sorry, but I have to go."

The man and his Mawile walked towards them, and Lia quickly unfroze. She searched for a place to talk and suggested, "Um, how about we sit by that weird machine over there?"

"That's a pokeblock machine, miss. I think that's an excellent idea. Ah, but first, I'm Olsen, and this is Mari. But I'm sure you knew that." Olsen chuckled a bit and bowed slightly.

Lia quickly bowed in return, saying, "Oh, I'm Lia Makura! And, um, this is Aurora, my Kirlia." Aurora bowed as well, grabbing the hems of her 'skirt'.

"Darren. Nice to meet you." Hikage introduced himself with a simple "Kir."

"Well, now that we all know each other, let's go and make some pokeblocks!"

The man escorted them over and instructed them where to sit. He sat down himself and said, "Now, making pokeblocks isn't very hard – you just need a good sense of rhythm. Simply push this little blue button when the spinner comes around-"

"Is this a lot of work?" Darren interrupted. He was already looking skeptical at the prospect of work.

Olsen smiled. "Not at all. Why, I think that you'd be good at it Darren, you seem the type. Now, if we can all put in a berry…"

He withdrew a spiked, tomato-looking berry from his briefcase and dropped it into the chamber. Darren got out a small, green berry – a Lum, if Lia recalled correctly – and tossed it in as well. Lia searched frantically through her bag – she didn't usually carry berries around with her, as they were perishable. She tried to be a practical traveler. Finally, she withdrew a berry pouch and emptied it into her hand – Razz, Bluk, and Nanab. She decided red would be best and threw in the Razz right before the chamber closed and locked.

"Remember, watch the spinner." Olsen reminded as the clock began to beep.

The machine started very quickly. Lia completely missed the first cycle, wincing at the loud buzz that accompanied it. Darren hit the button right on the mark, earning a pleasant little bell chime. Olsen did likewise, and the machine continued on. Lia worriedly watched the spinner, but was never able to get it quite right, and it was over before she could "get into the zone".

Darren read off his results with a slight interest, "Excellent – 20. Good – 5. Miss – 0. Huh. Interesting."

Olsen clapped him on the back and said, "There, see? I know a good pokeblock maker when I see one!"

Lia sighed at her results – 0, 10, and 15. Maybe she should have let Aurora do it for her… Her thoughts were interrupted by Darren handing her a deep purple pokeblock.

"Here. It's the pokeblock we made – quit zoning out." he said dryly.

Lia inspected the little block – it was only a square inch, looking a bit like salt water taffy but plum-colored. Darren simply handed his block to Hikage, whom inspected and then ate it.

"Kir." _'It's…spicy, but it tastes ok…'_ The Kirlia chewed a few more times as if to confirm this, then nodded.

Lia stuck the pokeblock in her berry pouch, lamenting the fact that she didn't have a Pokeblock Case. She saw Olsen carefully feed Mari the pokeblock, who sat on his lap and ate it happily.

"You really take good care of Mari, don't you Mr. Olsen?" Lia smiled.

He smiled contently and patted the Mawile on the head, sighing, "Yes, of course. Mari is more than a contest pokemon to me – she's like a granddaughter. All of my children have moved far away, and I was left alone."

"That's terrible. Children shouldn't leave their parents by themselves like that." Lia mumbled, biting her lip.

"Yes, well, they needed their breathing space. That left me with time to travel to places like the desert where I found Mari. It was two years ago, if I remember, that I came across her fending off a small pack of Trapinch." He chuckled at the memory. "You should have seen her. She was losing terribly, but you wouldn't know that from watching her face. She seemed to be having a lot of fun. I though she was very…cool."

Mari pouted and crossed her arms, but he consoled, "Now Mari, don't be like that. You really were losing. But anyway, I caught her and thought she would be an excellent contester. She had a bit of a…natural cool aura, if you will. I'm hoping that we go all the way to the Master Rank, but we need to rest up first."

Darren, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly asked, "Where do you start?"

"Hmm?"

"To become a coordinator. Where do you start?"

"Ah, yes. Looking to become a coordinator, Darren?" The redhead shrugged his shoulders, so Olsen continued, "Well, first you need a Contest Pass from Verdanturf Town. That's the same place as the Normal Rank contest, so it's all very convenient."

"We're going there anyway, Darren. First Mauville, then Verdanturf. You should sign up! It seems like your kind of thing." Lia chimed in, playfully shoving his shoulder.

Darren shrugged again and smirked, "You think so, huh? Well, it can't hurt. Maybe this is something I can actually get into."

Olsen smiled and said, "I look forward to it. Who knows? Maybe we'll meet in Lilycove." He stood and returned his hat to his head, picking up Mari as he went. "It was very pleasant to speak with you both, but I'm afraid I must go before the press finds me again. I bid you good luck and farewell."

He left quietly, standing straight and walking confidently. Lia thought, _'Wow. It's not just Mari – Mr. Olsen is a great coordinator.'_ Lia stole a glance at Darren, who was still watching him leave. _'I wonder if Darren will be like that one day…?'_

The redhead boy finally stood and recalled Hikage, saying, "Alright, let's move on already. We have to reach the museum, right?"

Lia beamed and replied, "Right! Let's go!"

The contest still hadn't finished, so the lobby was empty enough. They made their way out and instantly noticed the sun had weakened. Lia shaded her eyes and looked up – ominous gray clouds were creeping across the sky.

"Maybe we should by umbrellas first…" Lia said, tugging on Darren's sleeve and pointing towards the sky.

"I already have something. It's more of a waterproof jacket…" Darren pulled a dark indigo coat out of his backpack and pulled it on, flipping down the hood. "But let's buy you one."

They returned to the marketplace and found, strangely enough, an umbrella stand. A girl wearing florescent pink and sporting curly blonde hair stood behind the counter, slightly twitching as she ate chocolate.

"Like, hi! Are you, like, here to buy an umbrella?" she squealed, tossing the sweet aside.

Lia blinked, "But…all you sell are umbrellas. What else could we possibly be doing here?"

"Like, don't ask me! Maybe you just wanted to, like, talk to me! Is that, like, too much to ask?" She buried her face in her hands for a two second crying session, then perked up and said, "So, which would you like?"

Darren mumbled, "Bipolar weirdo…" to which she replied, "Not weirdo! My name is Jessica! J-E-S-S-I-C-A! Now, like, which do you want?"

"Um, er…the grayish one?" Lia said timidly, upon which Jessica handed it to her. It had a little Castform pattern along the edge and was rather cute.

"Okay, that's, like, fifteen P, okay?" she chirped, holding out her highly manicured hand.

Lia counted out the gold coins and handed it to her. Jessica promptly stuffed it into one of many small pockets and began to wave excitedly.

"Okay, okay, thank you! I'll see you around Lia-chan and Darren-chan!" she laughed.

Darren muttered, "Let's not…" and dragged Lia away. Something was bothering her though…

"Uh, Darren? How did Jessica know our names? We never told her…" she whispered.

They both stopped and looked back, but she was still waving. It was then that Lia noticed she had indigo eyes and three pokeballs disguised as earrings. _There's more to her than meets the eye._

"Let's move on. The line at the museum will only get longer." Darren forced out, his brow furrowed. It seemed that Jessica was getting to him, too.

The two left the market and crossed the city streets. Lia looked around, glad she now had time to look around. The city had a lot of wooden buildings that had ship names on them – she guessed that old boats became the building materials when there weren't seaworthy. The streets were paved and lined with metal seashells, which reminded her of her home in Olivine. She sighed – she still missed Johto…

"I wonder how Irene's doing…" she mumbled, looking towards the sky.

"Irene?" Darren questioned, looking over.

Lia smiled and replied, "Yeah, Irene is my best friend. Here, I think I have a picture…"

She dug into the front pocket of her satchel and withdrew picture that had been folded too many times. She opened it up to reveal a younger version of herself standing with another girl her age. The girl had dark reddish brown hair in two outlandish ponytails and bright green eyes. They were both wearing the dark purple and white uniform of Violet City Trainer's School.

"We've been friends since I started school. We both lived in Olivine and had to commute to school two hours every day. I don't know what I would have done without her." She held the picture close to her face and added, "I hope she's having fun on her journey. She picked a Chikorita and named it Saffron…"

She suddenly looked up and said, "Sorry, I'm rambling again…"

"…Must be nice. Having friends and all." he mumbled, stuffing his hands back in pockets.

"Hey…hey, don't be like that! I'm your friend, Darren!" Lia exclaimed, a worried look on her face.

"…We met a week ago…"

"That doesn't matter! We're still friends." Lia insisted.

Darren sighed and carelessly ruffled her bandana, "You're ridiculous. So naïve and straight-forward. Transparent, really."

Lia blushed and mumbled, "I'm not that…transparent…" She suddenly felt very awkward.

"Well, it's alright, your transparency. It's better if your feelings show up easily." Darren shrugged and gave half a smile.

Lia didn't say anything more as they continued to walk, but Darren was acting as if he hadn't said anything, which helped her to react.

'_If he isn't feeling awkward, then I won't either…'_ she resolved.

The line had mysteriously disappeared in front of the museum. In fact, there was now a lot of yellow tape, flashing police cars, and panicked crowds. Lia and Darren picked up the pace and ran towards the entrance where a frazzled looking woman with blue hair.

"Um, Officer? What's going on here?" Lia asked, craning her neck to look inside.

"Well, it seems some goons called Team Aqua are holding up the whole museum. Captain Stern's in there, too…" she sighed and scribbled on her notepad.

"C-Captain Stern! The Captain Stern?" Lia squeaked out, shocked.

"Ah, that's the guy you're trying to find, right?" Darren said, testing the tape for its elasticity.

"I'm afraid so. He was in the middle of a very important meeting, waiting for a messenger from Rustboro…" the officer replied.

"I'm that messenger! Can I go inside?" Lia asked, trying to skirt around her.

The policewoman stood in her way, holding her back by one shoulder. "Sorry, but the situation's too dangerous. Only the police are in there now…"

Darren finished checking the tape and nodded, apparently pleased with something. He grabbed Lia's wrist and whispered something quick into her ear. Her eye widened as she began to shake her head.

He turned to the officer and said, "Sorry, but this is urgent."

Still holding onto Lia's wrist, he jumped up and pulled her onto the tape, which sagged but didn't break. He then proceeded to walk across the barrier into the museum, dragging Lia along.

"Hey, wait! You can't do that!" the officer yelled, struggling to reach them past the web of yellow caution tape.

Darren landed on the other side and help Lia down, then smirked, "Sorry, but this is important."

Lia gave an apologetic bow before running deeper into the museum. It was true – various men and women in blue and white and striped bandanas were holding terrified people captive with various pokemon. The receptionist was crying as she cowered beneath her desk, a growling Poochyena standing above her.

Lia froze, her eyes growing wide. That familiar Poochyena…

She ripped a pokeball from her bag and growled, "You're the one. The one that injured Shadow!"

She threw the pokeball to the ground, mildly surprised that Faelia burst out.

"Zig!" she purred. She sat down, looking from Lia to the Poochyena in rapid succession. Upon noting the livid look in Lia's eyes, she turned upon the puppy pokemon, growling and barking.

The Poochyena turned and began to growl, but its ferociousness died off when confronted with a fully puffed up, growling Zigzagoon. It turned tail and ran, which Faelia eagerly followed.

Lia had to chase them up the stairs breathlessly – they were very fast. She passed display after display of seemingly identical water samples but didn't notice them at all. The upstairs was a spacious room with scaled replicas of numerous cruise ships. A calm, older man with salt-and-pepper hair sat in a chair, hands folded beneath his chin. A navy blue captain's hat sat jauntily on his head.

"I'm asking you for the last time, you old geezer! Where are the Devon Goods?" a grunt snarled, grabbing him by the collar.

The captain rolled his eyes and sighed, "I told you I don't have it. About fifty times now, if I recall. Now kindly let go of my shirt, you're wrinkling it."

The second grunt yelled, "Quit being smart! Just tell us-"

It was then that the Poochyena skidded in, yelping like crazy with Faelia close on his heels. The puppy jumped into his trainer's arms, leaving the little raccoon to yip and bark from the ground. Lia finally rounded the corner and came face to face with the two grunts.

The grunt's face contorted in recognition. "You! You have the Devon Goods, don't you?"

Lia's eyes narrowed as Faelia's growl deepened. "And if I do?"

The other grunt laughed and withdrew a pokeball. "Then you'll be handing it over – it's two against one."

"Two against two, actually. Ganging up on a girl is terribly unsportsmanlike." came a voice from the stairwell.

They all turn in time to see Darren walking calmly up the stairs with Mint, his Grovyle, at his side. "Sorry I'm late, but freeing hostages is time consuming."

The second grunt twisted his earring and hissed, "Fine! Beat us if you can! I'll have you know, we're highly ranked!" The other grunt coughed, so he kicked him silent.

"Sounds good to me." Darren motioned to Mint, who moved forward and took a battle position. "Are you ready Lia?"

She nodded and said, "Faelia, get ready!" She then looked up at the grunt with the Poochyena and muttered, "This is for Shadow."

-----------------------------------------------

Uwah, so short... Anyway, there's something new on my profile. It's a "movie trailer" for Emerald Destiny! Please give it a read and mention it in the review! Please review.


	15. Chapter 14: Of Team Aqua's Mission

Yes, another chapter. I struggled with this one for some reason, so if it sounds a little weird, that's why.

Disclaimer: I own only this fanfic. And Pokemon Diamond. But not Pokemon in general. But I told you that, didn't I?

------------------------------------

The grunt with the Poochyena set the puppy on the ground, then took off his bandana and stuffed it in his pocket. It was suddenly apparent he had dark orange hair.

"Well, as long as we're battling, I might as well introduce myself. Ark Gale, Team Aqua. I'm sorry I wasn't as composed at our last meeting – I have a bit of a temper when I'm irritable." he said calmly.

Lia glowered and said, "You and your pokemon blinded my Shadow. I will defeat you for revenge."

Ark raised an eyebrow in amusement, then glanced over at his partner. He was already battling Darren and was currently having his Zubat being beaten down by Mint. He sighed and returned to the matter at hand.

"Night, you're up first." The Poochyena nodded and began to growl.

Faelia moved as if to battle, but Lia held her back. "Hold on Faelia, you'll get your chance." She then straightened up and pulled out another pokeball. "Go, Kou!"

The Combusken appeared, but immediately went and kicked Lia in the shin.

"Com bus ken? Com bus ken com!" _'Why the hell did you return me? I want my fresh air, dammit!'_ She then turned to the Poochyena, anger quickly dropping. _'Oh, are we battling?'_

Lia winced and clutched the new bruise on her leg. "Yes Kou, we're here to battle. And it would really help if you didn't kick me when you're mad…"

The bird gave a 'whatever' sigh, little embers blowing out of her beak. She then turned to the pokemon before her and readied herself for battle, a little spark in her eye.

"Alright Kou, let's start strong! Ember!" Lia called.

Kou inhaled and blew out a blinding tongue of flame, glittering scarlet and gold. The puppy leapt to the side and narrowly avoided the attack, still singeing all the fur on his left side.

"Night, Tackle. Show them what you got!" Ark was quickly falling back into his old tendencies.

The dark type lunged at Kou, but she dodged and scratched the pokemon across the face. The puppy slid back, growling, whining, and batting his paw at the new cut.

Ark muttered a curse under his breath, then shouted aloud, "Night, it's time for your unique move – Night Shade!"

The air around the Poochyena began to distort and glow a dark purplish black. Suddenly it bore down and the energy was released, sending spiraling waves of the dark miasma towards Kou. The bird tried to dodge it but it diffused through the air, washing over her. She began to cough harshly and fell to her knees, clutching her head.

"Kou!" Lia called out, worried.

Ark smirked, "Surprised? It's a move he's known since he was born. An attack that does a significant amount of damage regardless of type. Now Night, Tackle!"

The puppy charged towards Kou, who was still kneeling and panting. She shot up her head and coughed out a harsh Ember, scorching him badly. He was determined, though, and continued on, latching onto Kou's arm with his sharply pointed teeth.

"K-Kou! Shake him off!" Lia called, then added, "After that, use Double Kick!"

Kou spun around, shaking her arm jerkily. Night whimpered as his grip slipped until he finally let go in fear of losing his teeth. A split second later, Kou connected her foot with the puppy's side and sent him clear across the room. He didn't get up after that.

Lia sighed with a bit of a smirk, "Even with Night Shade, Fighting beats Dark. Your move, Ark."

Ark scowled as he returned Night, then withdrew another blue and gray pokeball. He muttered, "Well, if you're so big on type-advantage, then you'll love this. Go, Carvanha!"

The pokemon that appeared was new to Lia. It was a dangerous looking fish-shark with serrated scales of blue, red, and gold. It balanced precariously on several fins but was surprisingly calm for a "fish out of water". Sharp teeth jutted from its lower jaw as it leered at Kou.

Upon seeing Lia's confused face, Ark explained, "Carvanha, the Savage pokemon. He's a Water and Dark type, so we're even."

Lia bit her lower lip – she didn't like pitting Kou against any type disadvantage, as the Dewford Gym battle was still fresh in her mind. "Kou, this isn't for you. Come back."

The bird opened her mouth as if to say something, so Lia quickly cut in, "Either come back or I'm returning you. Your choice."

Kou gaped like a Goldeen for a while, then begrudgingly trotted to Lia's side and crossed her arms in a huff. Lia smiled and patted her starter on the head, who sighed irritably.

The trainer then turned her mind to her options. _'Kou and Aurora are both at a disadvantage. Shadow isn't completely used to his blind spot, and Nepti's Water attacks would be pretty useless here. That leaves…'_

She glanced down to her Zigzagoon, who was growling and wagging her bottlebrush tail. "Alright Faelia, I guess you're up!"

"Zig!" she cried as she bounded forward. The size difference wasn't that great, but the Carvanha was a lot more intimidating.

Ark snorted, "Aw, a Zigzagoon. A tiny little one, too – when did you catch her, yesterday?" He then barked a command, "Carvanha, Tackle!"

Lia immediately countered, "Faelia, Tackle as well!"

The two pokemon lunged at each other and collided, springing back. While the Carvanha looked fine, Faelia had scrapes all over the side of impact.

"Oops, forgot to tell you. Rough Skin is Carvanha's ability. Any physical attacks will hurt you – serrated scales, you know?" Ark laughed mockingly.

Lia gritted her teeth – Faelia only had physical attacks. If anything was going to work, it would have to hit hard and fast…

Before she could get anything in, Ark ordered, "Carvanha, finish with Water Gun!"

The shark blasted a jet of water towards Faelia, bowling her over and throwing her into the table Captain Stern was sitting at. The Captain quickly helped the raccoon up, only to be sprayed as she shook herself dry.

"Carvanha!"

"Faelia!"

Although neither trainer really said anything, both pokemon reacted. Carvanha threw another Water Gun at Faelia, who narrowly dodged it by ducking behind a display of beach sand. The water shattered the glass and sprayed sand everywhere. Ark and Lia began to cough as the dust permeated the air.

The grunt pulled out his bandana again and tied it over his mouth before yelling, "Use Water Gun again! This time it has nowhere to hide!"

Lia followed suit, pulling off her bandana and tying it. She quickly shook the sand out of her copper hair, patting it down as she commanded, "Faelia, Sand Attack!"

It was a perfect situation for such an attack. As the Carvanha shot its third Water Gun, Faelia turned and kicked a huge spray of sand right into it. This resulted in…mud. Lots of it, too. The poor raccoon was coated in it, but was unhurt.

Lia excitedly yelled, "Great Faelia! Now use Cut!"

The raccoon jumped up and slashed at Carvanha, but to no avail. The shark lashed back with a Take Down and sent Faelia sprawling back. She struggled to her feet once again, gasping raggedly for breath.

"Faelia!" cried Lia. Her brow furrowed in frustration – Faelia wasn't doing well at all. The Carvanha seemed nearly unharmed.

Lia opened her mouth to issue another command, but was cut off by "Mint, Fury Cutter."

Darren's Grovyle leapt into the battle in front of Faelia and began to slash wildly at the enemy. Lia looked quickly to her left and saw Darren standing calmly with his arms folded. His opponent was currently sobbing over three K.O.'ed pokemon that were piled together.

Ark shrieked, "That's cheating! Two on one battles are illegal!"

Darren laughed eerily and ran his fingers through his blood red hair. "I don't give a damn what's legal." He threw out his hand dramatically. "Mint, finish this up, please."

The Grovyle nodded curtly and delivered a sharp final blow to the shark. The Bug-type attack had taken its toll on the Carvanha, which promptly sank to the ground. Ark swore under his breath and returned his pokemon.

Darren returned Mint with a smirk, leaving Lia to pick up her Zigzagoon warily. She suddenly got the feeling that it was a very good thing that Darren was with her rather than against her.

Suddenly there was the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Ark and his partner stiffened noticeably – the partner even began to tremble. Lia, Darren, and Stern turned their attention to the stairs.

The person that appeared wasn't quite what Lia had expected. It was a man in his early thirties with longish silver hair covered by a blue and white striped bandana. His sharp violet eyes roamed across the room as he pulled a slip of paper out of his navy blue slacks.

He quickly crossed the room and handed Ark the paper. The grunt read it once, nodded, and ragged his partner downstairs. Lia and Darren watched the man carefully to gauge whether or not they should follow. The man noticed their glares and chuckled softly.

"Don't worry, they're just telling the rest of the squad to clear out." His violet gaze focused on Lia. "So you're the one. Lia, was it? I've heard a lot about you."

"M-me?" she squeaked out. "From where?"

"Oh, here and there. I hear you've been disrupting a couple of Aqua missions, namely obtaining the Devon Goods… Oh! Where are my manners?"

He bowed low to them with an extravagant sweep of the hand, saying, "I'm Archie, the leader of Team Aqua." He straightened up and added, "I suppose you wish to know what we want with the Devon Goods."

Darren raised an eyebrow, "That would be useful knowledge, yes."

Archie calmly laced his fingers together and sighed, "It's a simple dream, really. Tell me Lia, have you ever been to Orre?"

The girl shook her head slowly, but Darren replied, "It's a barren wasteland far west of Hoenn, right? Nothing but desert out there."

Archie smiled, "Yes, that's right. It was my childhood home. You wouldn't believe the number of people and pokemon that die of thirst out there. I remember, during one drought, my younger cousin died a slow and painful death because my aunt couldn't afford water for the whole family."

Lia gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "T-that's…that's terrible!"

The Aqua leader tilted his head slightly in amusement. "So you do understand." He spread his arms wide. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was enough water to go around, no matter where you were? That is the goal of Team Aqua. To expand the seas and promote life!"

The captain suddenly said, "But this is no way to go about it! Stealing things, attacking innocent people…how will that expand the sea?"

The leader's face contorted into irritation as he snapped, "I wouldn't expect anyone from Hoenn to understand. It's practically an oasis! But…"

He folded his hands mysteriously as he smirked. "It is absolutely essential that we start here. Now, if I may take my leave…"

He turned swiftly and departed, descended the stairs elegantly. Lia made a move to follow, but once again was stopped by Darren.

"Didn't you notice his belt?" he hissed.

Lia looked quickly and caught just a glimpse before he rounded the corner – six gleaming blue and gray pokeballs with black stripes on them, resembling Ultra Balls.

"He's got strong pokemon. I'm pretty sure our pokemon wouldn't be the only ones beat up if we took him on." the redhead muttered.

Lia grimaced – Darren was right. He usually was. She returned Faelia in order to retie her bandana, then made her way over to Captain Stern.

"Um, are you okay, Captain?" she asked timidly.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I didn't have the Goods, so they couldn't take them from me." He straightened up and said, "But you do have the Devon Goods, right?"

Lia nodded and quickly handed it over. The Captain unfurled the blueprints, scanned them hastily, and stuffed them away.

"I suggest you leave now, before the police – and press – arrive. No need to plaster your face over the news, hmm? There may be some people you don't want to find you."

The Captain opened the window on the back wall and looked down. It was a good twenty feet drop, but survivable. He beckoned the teens over and gestured out the window.

"There you go, not an officer or reporter in sight. Now go on."

Lia whimpered as she looked out the window – not again… She preferred not to do a dangerous stunt every other hour. Kou, however, simply rushed past and jumped out the window with ease. Darren soon climbed up onto the windowsill and sat down.

"C'mon Lia, we're already in trouble with the law. Crossed a police line, remember? We gotta go." he said dryly.

Lia bit her lip and nodded. "R-right…well, here I go!"

She clambered onto the sill and took another look. It was a long way down… Before she could second guess herself, Darren grabbed her by the wrist and slid out of the window, pulling her down. She gave a little squeak as the ground rushed up to meet her, ending in a thump.

The next thing she knew, someone was patting her cheek.

"Oi, Lia! Sheesh, you're pathetic. It was only a little bump on the head."

She forced her eyes open to see Darren kneeling beside her. When he saw she was awake, his shoulders slumped a little as he let out a breath. Kou was sitting close by, watching Lia warily with a mixture of worry and irritation.

Darren stood and helped her up, complaining, "Sheesh, you're such a pain. C'mon, let's get to the Center before it closes."

Lia shook her head and massaged her temples, mumbling, "The Center? Uh…how long have I been out?"

Darren opened her umbrella and handed it to her as it began to drizzle. He then pulled up his hood and replied, "Only a couple of minutes. The police are still buzzing around, by the way."

Lia shook the remaining cobwebs out of her mind and ushered her Combusken under the umbrella as well – her feathers were fluffing already. She then nodded to Darren and they were on their way.

Unfortunately, there was a price to pay for arriving in Slateport in the middle of a crisis…

"What? The Center's full?!" Lia cried.

The Nurse Joy of the Center looked apologetically at the two teens through the now pouring rain. They were looking quite wet and miserable, and she felt sorry for them.

"I'm sorry, but with the recent attack on the museum, everyone was too afraid to camp out. Plus, it's raining and…I'm sorry." she explained helplessly.

The nurse closed the door as another bolt of lightning cracked across the sky. Kou jumped up with a screech, digging her nails into Lia's arm.

The girl winced, "So you're afraid of lightning, eh Kou?"

She returned her starter to save both of them some stress. She then turned to Darren and sighed, "Now what?"

"…I think I know a place."

About half an hour later, the two collapsed wearily against a support column for Cycling Road. The overpass was loud and echoed with the roar of motorbikes.

"This isn't quite what I expected…" Lia sighed as she wrung out her dripping bandana.

Darren opened his mouth to reply but was drowned out by another crack of lightning so bright they were temporarily blinded. She could barely hear him above the rain and bikes.

"At least it's dry, right?" he sighed.

It was very dark under the pass. Not only had the sun gone down, but the storm blocked out the moon and stars. They could only see anything when lightning flashed. Between flashes, Darren could see Lia's worried face.

"What are you, scared?" he laughed. His laughter echoed several times.

"Well…it's really dark, and we're just out here on the road…" she mumbled, barely audible over the rain.

He sighed and said, "Look, just get some sleep. I'll keep watch, okay? It's annoying if you're going to be whimpering all night."

Lia curled up, resting her chin on her knees. She felt relieved by what Darren said, even though he made it seem like she was an annoyance. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but before she knew it, she had.

---

Back in Slateport, a girl with blonde curly hair twitched as she ate chocolate. She sat contently in her umbrella stand as the storm got worse. Suddenly, her cell phone rang to the tune of 'Cute Skitty'.

She flipped it open happily. "Hello, this is Jessica!"

Her expression changed very quickly.

"Oh, hey boss. No, no, I'm doing fine. I even sold some umbrellas."

She paused, a slight look of worry crossing her face.

"Really. Well…that might be my fault. I kind of mentioned their names when I've "never met them before"."

She held the phone away from her ear, wincing. It was several seconds before she dared return it.

"I'm sorry, okay? But they just shrugged it off, I'm sure! Boss…no. Please, boss! C'mon! You can't! You…huh? Oh…okay. Yeah, I understand. I'll relocate right away."

She shut the phone with a loud clack and put it away. She then knelt down and looked under the stand. There was an unconscious woman bound and gagged underneath it.

She began to untie the ropes, saying, "I'm returning the stand, okay? I'll even leave the money I made. I'm sorry."

Once the woman was free, Jessica stood and walked out into the rain. She pulled one of the pokeballs off her earring and released the pokemon inside. It was a menacing looking Shiftry, who instantly held his leaf fan over her head to shield her from the rain.

She smiled sadly and held him close, and with a whirlwind of leaves, they were gone.

-----------------------------------------------

And so ends another chapter. Remember, the movie trailer is still on my profile, so if you want to read it, go ahead. And leave a review, please.


	16. Chapter 15: Of a House Full of Tricks

Another month, another chapter. I'll keep trying for all of you!

Disclaimer: Pokemon isn't mine. Nor is it yours.

------------------------------------

It took a few seconds for Lia to realize she was awake. She half expected to stumble out of her bed and look out the window to Olivine Beach, just as she had every day of her childhood.

Of course, her life had been different for a while. She was not in a bed, but on a wet patch of grass leaning against a cement column. She began to shiver suddenly as the breeze picked up. Looking to the sky, she saw dark gray clouds drifting lazily across, only occasionally revealing weak patches of blue.

She rubbed her arms vigorously, glad that she had brought her oversized hoodie and put it on sometime last night. She smiled faintly as she recalled the huge argument she and her mother had had over it.

"I should probably call her…" she whispered.

Lia withdrew her Pokenav from her bag, mournfully shaking dew from it. She began to dial the number, but paused to check on Darren.

He seemed to be asleep, leaning against the cement support only a few feet away from her. His hood was up over his head, but strands of his bright red hair poked out from underneath. His eyelashes were long and a lot darker than his hair, greatly contrasting his pale skin. Lia giggled softly – when Darren was asleep, he seemed a lot nicer. Cuter, too.

"Too bad he doesn't stay that way…" she sighed as she continued to dial the number.

The Pokenav rang a few times before Lia heard the click of someone picking up the line. She heard her mother mutter, "Who calls this early in the morning…hello, this is Maria Makura."

Lia giggled, "Good morning to you too, Mom."

"Lia? Lia, oh my god! Do you know how long it's been since I heard from you?" she screeched.

"I know, I know. I'm all the way out by Slateport – just north, actually. But please try to be quiet Mom, my traveling partner is still asleep…" the girl sighed.

She glanced at Darren, but he was still asleep. Her gaze softened – he must have been up late.

"Traveling partner? You have one now?"

"Yeah, his name's Darren…"

"Ooh, a boy, huh?"

"Mom, it's not like that. I don't think he has the slightest interest in me. He's a very…unique person." Lia laughed to herself – that was one way of putting it.

"Really? Well, it sounds like you're having a lot of fun. I trust your choice in traveling personnel." Her mother's familiar laugh calmed Lia.

"You make it sound like he's my security guard. Anyway, how's Dad?"

Her mother's voice came back irritated. "Overworking himself, as usual. But he misses you, as I do. Are you eating well? You have enough money? You are okay, right? I heard there was a huge storm out there, and a robbery, too! It was all over the news."

'_Ugh, Mom would kill me if she knew I ran past those police lines…'_ Lia thought.

"I'm just fine, Mom. I'll try to call more often, too. And now you have my number, so you can call too." she replied.

"Well…fine. I'll let you go. I love you, Lia-chan."

"Love you too Mom. Bye."

She had barely closed the Pokenav when Darren drawled dryly, "How touching."

Lia jumped a little in shock, then calmed down when she saw Darren. He was still leaning against the column, seemingly unwilling to get up.

"Still tired, are you?" Lia asked, flipping up the hood of his jacket.

His golden eyes looked up at her lazily. "Well, I was up god knows how long because you couldn't sleep." He rolled over and added, "You talk in your sleep, you know that?"

Lia's stomach churned – not again… "What…what did I say?"

"Like I was paying attention. Something about…I don't know, a burning building or something. I'm too tired to remember." He rolled over again and fell silent.

Lia sighed in relief – it hadn't been too bad, then. She glanced over and saw Aurora curled up under her bag. The girl tried to remember if Aurora had been there when she fell asleep, but it was too much of a blur.

She picked up the psychic and put her on her shoulder, smiling as the Kirlia automatically clung to her without waking up. She looked out into the light drizzle, then back at Darren.

"I'm taking a walk, okay? Don't go anywhere."

"Nn." was his muffled reply.

Taking that as a reply, Lia located her umbrella and opened it, walking out into the rain. It was very light and rather pleasant, unlike the storm from last night. Slateport was in the distance, looking small compared to the huge overpass of Cycling Road. The traffic was quieter this morning, something Lia was grateful for. She took note of where Darren was and began to walk away from the city.

The path grew overgrown the further she went, but she didn't mind. There was a tree with low branches about ten feet off the road, so she took this opportunity to climb it. It was quite a scramble, but Lia eventually made it to the top.

"I knew all that time Irene and I spent climbing trees would pay off someday…" she laughed to herself.

Aurora awoke groggily, muttering, _'Ugh…rain. Wait…why are we thirty feet up in a tree?'_

Lia tapped the psychic's head playfully and said, "Take a look around. Isn't it a great view?"

Aurora's big scarlet eyes gazed out to the horizon. Cycling Road stretched further than they could see, winding across the route like a concrete snake. There was plaza quite a ways away with a couple of shops on it.

The psychic then closed her eyes and followed Cycling Road with her mind. The road twisted on for a long time before it ended near a city.

'_Hmm…Mauville is a long ways away. It'll take you three days of straight walking to get there. It seems that there are two houses along the way, though.'_ she reported.

"Really? Where?" said Lia, looking around. She couldn't see much…

Aurora, her eyes still closed, turned her head northeast. _'There's a house not too far from here. You probably could see it if there were no trees.'_ She turned her head a little more to the right. _'And the other house is under the plaza. It's about halfway to Mauville.'_

The psychic opened her eyes and sighed, _'Looks like it's gonna be camping and forging for the next week…'_

"It's not that bad. It'll make us tougher! After all, Darren traveled for two years and he's okay!"

'_Yes, but look how he turned out.'_

"I don't think that's due to the traveling, Aurora."

A lengthy silence passed between them as they both thought.

"Hey Aurora, do you ever get the feeling-"

'_That Darren's got a troubled past? Who doesn't these days?'_

Lia smiled out of spite. "That's true. But I get the feeling that his was really painful…"

Another silence passed.

'_I could read his mind and figure it out for you.'_

"What? No! That's an invasion of privacy!"

'_Sheesh, I was just joking. But see, you're more cheerful now. You should stay that way – I couldn't stand both you and Darren being so blasé.'_

Lia murmured, "The world couldn't handle that much angst."

Aurora suddenly snorted, small white hands over her mouth. She then burst out laughing, using her own voice rather than the psychic one she always used. This started Lia laughing, so the two laughed themselves to exhaustion over such a thing. The trainer finally calmed herself, wiping away a few tears for good measure.

"You know Aurora…" Lia sighed as she leaned back against the tree. "We get along really well. I think that we'll always be friends."

Aurora smiled, but an almost inaudible mental whisper murmured, _'I hope so.'_

"Hey, I heard that! I promise Aurora, I'll always be your friend until the day I die!"

But Aurora smiled sadly and said no more.

Lia somehow got back down to the ground, earning a few new splinters along the way. She winced and tried futilely to pick them out. Too bad her nails were so worn down.

Upon reaching Darren, she found him awake and redressed, feeding his pokemon diligently. Lia sweat-dropped – he was cosplaying again…

"So it's a Wartortle theme today, eh Darren?" she said with a sigh, retrieving her bag and rummaging for some food for her own pokemon.

"Yep. So, did you see anything of interest?"

"Not really. Oh, Aurora says there's a house not too far from here. Let's go there next."

Lia pulled out a can of generic pokemon food, frowning at its weight. "So this is why my bag was so heavy…" She popped open its easy open top and began to pour out portions of brownish mush onto leaves, wishing she had brought bowls or something.

'_I can see why this was the cheapest brand.'_ Aurora muttered, wrinkling her nose at it.

"Hey, at least it's food. When we're in Mauville, I'll take you to a restaurant, okay?" Still, she felt guilty enough to retrieve a slightly flat berry and cut it into five. Lia then proceeded to release the rest of her pokemon and made sure they were eating before searching for her own breakfast.

Unfortunately, it seems she wasn't very prepared, as the best she could come up with was a package of smashed crackers. The rest of her meals were prepackaged and she didn't feel like taking them apart. So, she dejectedly munched on crumbs as her pokemon balked at their food.

Kou had half a mind to chuck her food at the wall, but, she realized, that would leave her without food. She could steal Shadow's, but he was eating the same thing, so there would be no point. Of course, by the time she finished contemplating this, everyone had finished eating. Thus her plans were thwarted by her slow thinking.

By the time breakfast was over, the rain had cleared up and the sun was feebly shining through the clouds. The two trainers recalled their pokemon (except Aurora, of course) and headed for the mysterious house.

True to Aurora's word, there was a large house obscured by trees. Its horrid yellow paint was peeling, and the roof was an odd shade of magenta. They both stared at it for a while, a bit shocked.

"That's…quite a sense of design." Lia muttered, scratching off a flake of paint.

"Let's just see if anyone's in. If not, we can go – I want to get to Mauville as soon as possible. I don't know about you, but a cement column is not my idea of a good night's sleep." Darren sighed.

Lia knocked on the door, but to her surprise it swung open at her touch. The interior was dark, but for just a second the sunlight flashed, reflecting off of a pair of glasses under a large, circular table.

She took a step forward into the dusty darkness. "Um…hello? Is there anyone there?"

Darren added, "Under the table, maybe?"

As if his words were a trigger, all the lights in the house suddenly came on as confetti fell from the ceiling. The table in the center flipped over to reveal a slightly balding man with gleaming glasses standing on a platform. His outfit was in the same bad taste as the house – a bright orange Hawaiian shirt paired with shiny black shorts. Lia and Darren were left in shock again.

"How in the world did you know I was hiding under this table? You're sharp!" he laughed.

Taking their mortified silence as approval, he continued, "Welcome to the Trick House, home of amazing tricks!"

With the press of a button on the platform, applause sounded.

"Yes, yes, I know, amazing indeed. You probably wish to know how you can participate, don't you? No need to answer – I can see it in your eyes! You're saying, 'Oh please magical Trick Master, let me test my inferior intellect against your far superior tricks!' Well, look no further than the scroll on the back wall, my friends. I await you in the back!"

With that, a series of wires descended from the ceiling and carried the Trick Master away.

Lia wondered briefly what the hell just happened.

"Well…" Darren coughed, looking amused, "…let's take a look at that scroll, shall we?"

Although Lia didn't think that was such good idea, she followed Darren to the back and read the scroll with him.

Trick House Rules

No cheating! I'll know!

You must pass the obstacles without any pokemon assistance.

A scroll is hidden within, containing a password.

The door on the back wall has a lock that will only open with the password.

You will receive a prize at the end.

Enter behind the scroll to begin. Have fun! (A small heart was drawn nearby.)

"Seems simple enough." Darren said as he pulled back the scroll, revealing a small hole.

"I guess…it can't be too hard. I'll go first." Lia volunteered.

The trainer and her Kirlia climbed through the hole which was only four feet in diameter. Once they struggled through, they tumbled onto a platform in a huge room. Once she sat up, she saw five large, sloped platforms rising out of deep looking water, evenly spaced and alternating away from her. On the far side was another platform.

"You know, I don't think this place looks big enough from the outside for all of this to be in here…" Lia mumbled as she stood up.

'_Well, this looks a little hard for a human…you sure you'll be fine?'_ Aurora hummed.

"We'll do just fine." Darren answered, crawling through the hole.

He stood and dusted himself, then surveyed the situation. With a nod, he dashed forward and launched himself at the first platform. He barely had landed before he pushed off and flung himself towards the next, and the next… He moved fluidly through the air before jumping for the final platform, rolling to break his fall. He sat dazed on the other side, waiting for Lia to cross.

She grimaced, looking worriedly into the water. It was clear, which made its depth that much more profound. She couldn't even see the bottom. Sure, she could swim, but…

Lia swallowed the lump in her throat and faced the obstacle. She briefly muttered, "Why am I doing this?" before taking a running leap for the first platform.

She landed a little high, giving herself plenty of time to prepare for her next leap. However, this made the distance longer, so she landed badly on the second platform. She clambered for a hold and managed to grab the top edge of the triangular ledge, wincing as it cut into her already splintered hand.

Still, she pulled herself up and jumped for the third ledge. Then, without pausing, she twisted her body and launched herself at the fourth. She pulled it off, but a sudden sharp pain ripped through her right calf. With a pained gasp, she grabbed the ledge with one arm and clutched her leg with the other.

'_Lia! What's wrong?'_ Aurora cried, clearly worried.

"An old injury…" she hissed through gritted teeth. "A Poochyena bit me when I was rescuing Shadow. And here I though the muscle was fine. Guess not…"

The girl forced herself to her feet and looked up. Only one more step until the end. She could do it.

She pushed off with her left leg, landed (badly) on her left leg, and forced another jump out of it.

The platform passed inches in front of her fingers.

Lia's feet had already hit the freezing cold water when she suddenly came to a jerking stop, hurting her shoulders. When she looked up, Darren had grabbed both her wrists.

"You're…heavy…" he hissed at her as he struggled to pull her up.

Once they were both safely back on the platform, Lia sighed, "Thanks Darren. That water was ridiculously cold…"

"Whatever. Couldn't have you holding me up, could I?" he complained. Although she barely noticed it, his voice was shaking.

Lia smiled at him, but he simply scowled. "Let's move on. The scroll isn't going to retrieve itself."

The group continued on, fighting their way through thin, wobbling planks and jumps off of trampolines into safety nets fifty feet away. At last they came to an isolated platform with a scroll on a glowing pedestal. Lia picked it up and unrolled it, so they read it together.

"**OMG, Trick Master rulez!"**

"…"

"…"

"No Darren! Don't rip it in half!"

Once Darren had calmed down sufficiently, Lia tucked the scroll away in her satchel. She, too, was worn out by the nature of this, but she tried to keep a level head. After all, there was only one more challenge before the door…

…Unfortunately, that challenge involved a long, thin plank accompanied by swinging axes.

"He's…he's trying to kill us… I'm sure of it…" Lia muttered when they faced it.

Darren, however, was more interested in a panel nearby. There seemed to be a couple of colorful boxes on it along with a few words.

"It says here that if we figure out this puzzle, we can open an alternate path. It just looks like a crossword puzzle…" he mused.

Lia walked over and said, "Well, let's try to solve it. Hmm, one down…what's another word for 'Supreme Master of Tricks'?"

Darren drawled, "Well what do you know, 'Trick Master' fits. What's the next one?"

"Captain of Creativity?"

"Trick Master."

"Unparalleled intellect?"

"Trick Master."

"Totally tubular…what?"

"It's still Trick Master."

The puzzle continued like this until the last entry was input, causing the entire panel to light up. The words 'Good work!' flashed across the screen momentarily before a floor tile next to them slid to the side, revealing a winding, descending staircase. The two looked at each other briefly before shrugging and continuing on.

There was indeed a door at the bottom with a small keypad. Lia entered the password, taking care with capitalization, and the door suddenly clicked open.

They flung open the door and ran out, only to find another room. This one, however, had fabulous prizes lining the walls. In the very center of the room stood the Trick Master, clapping delightedly.

"Wonderful, wonderful! You two are truly amazing! You are almost as great as me! Now, for your reward…"

He withdrew two pieces of candy wrapped in shiny blue paper from his pocket and held it out to them.

"Two Rare Candies!"

They stared at him blankly for awhile, then Darren rushed up and grabbed him by the front of the shirt roughly. Lia made no move to stop him.

"Listen mister, we didn't survive your little death course for two pieces of candy."

"Right, right, of course! Take whatever you like! Just please don't hurt me!" he whined, sobbing miserably.

Darren released him with a smirk and began to look around. Lia noticed something on the wall and motioned him over.

"Hey Darren, look at this. Two collapsible, compact tents – a Red Tent and a Blue Tent, it looks like. Would these be great to have?" she said, grinning ear to ear.

"Right, we'll take them." He took them off the wall and handed Lia the red one before glancing at the Trick Master. He was trembling like he wanted to say something, but didn't dare. Darren smirked at him before following Lia out the door.

Once the two were outside, Lia sighed, "Darren?"

"Yeah?"

"The next time a strange looking man offers us some sort of challenge, let's decline."

"I completely agree."

---------------------------------------------------------------

I feel like this chapter was pure crack, but oh well. Even Lia and Darren need to have fun sometime. Please review!


	17. Chapter 16: Of Blood

So, we go from crack chapter to a rather depressing one. Oh well.

Disclaimer: I own every gen starter on Pokemon Diamond. However, I own no Pokemon.

------------------------------------------

Lia held her hand out from under the umbrella experimentally, testing for rain.

"I think it stopped raining, Darren." she said with a smile.

The boy flipped off his hood, shaking out his bright red hair. "Thank god." he drawled. "Rain makes everything more miserable. As if it wasn't bad enough."

Lia sighed – she had to agree. For the last day and a half, she and Darren had trudged through marshy trails, hoping to reach Mauville eventually. However, they had yet to even reach the plaza of Cycling Road.

'_Well, at this rate we'll get to the plaza by tomorrow morning.'_ Aurora hummed, floating lazily near Lia's shoulder.

"That's only if we continue this rate." Lia sighed. "And since when does that happen?"

As fate would have it, there was indeed an interruption in the form of one red-faced, highly irritated trainer.

A young boy, maybe fifteen or sixteen, was bent over with his hands on his knees, clearly exhausted. Two pokeballs attached to his belt identified him as a trainer. He also had what appeared to be a net launcher on his back, and he seemed to be muttering to himself. The boy suddenly straightened and pointed at them aggressively.

"You! Did you see an Electrike around here?" he hissed.

"I don't know, kid. Maybe we did, maybe we didn't. What's it to you?" Darren replied in his familiar manner.

"Um, what he means to say is, there are hundreds of Electrike along this route. So…yeah." Lia answered.

"NO! This is a specific Electrike!" he yelled. "This one's got overgrown fangs and a scratch across his muzzle!"

"Let me guess." the redhead drawled, "You put that scratch on it?"

The boy floundered for a moment, then snapped, "So what? I've been trying to catch him for days. It wouldn't have happened if he had just given in."

"That's no way to go about catching pokemon." Lia said suddenly, pointing to the net launcher. "You should just use your own pokemon."

The boy's clear yellow-green eyes narrowed. "Trainers such as I, Kite, have no need for that. Why waste my time?"

Lia raised an eyebrow – his name was Kite? It figured – his messy brown hair and sharp features made him look very like a bird of prey. Still, these methods were…

"Anyway, we're not interested in helping you. So, we're leaving." Lia replied stiffly.

She made a move to walk forward, but Kite suddenly ripped one of his pokeballs off his belt. Lia froze as Aurora's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"So it's like that, eh?" Darren sighed, silently reaching for the pokeball attached to his bracelet.

Kite snarled, "I will have that Electrike, and you will help me." He threw the pokeball to the ground, revealing a Nidorino that took a stance and pointed its horn at them. "Listen, this doesn't have to be hard. Just help me out. Two or three hours of searching will do."

"Darren," Lia whispered, "That Nidorino is really poisonous. It's fast too – if it just nicks you…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I was hit by a Poison Sting from a Nidorino once. Wasn't pretty." he sighed. "But…Poison is quite weak to Psychic. Just use Aurora."

Lia nodded and turned to Aurora, whispering a quick plan in her ear. The Kirlia nodded and floated down, positioning herself between the Nidorino and her friends, eyes already glowing blue.

"Gonna fight, huh?" Kite laughed. "You're making a mistake. Poison, Psychic, it doesn't matter. My pokemon is in a different league."

The two trainers prepared for battle immediately.

"Nidorino!"

"Aurora!"

"Hor-"

"Con-"

Before they could even issue their first commands, a bolt of lightning struck the ground between the two pokemon. The earth was instantly charred black and flung tons of debris into the air. Aurora instantly put up a psychic shield to protect herself, and the Nidorino spun quickly to set up a dirt counterattack. The resultant crack of thunder tore at Lia's eardrums, even when she clapped her hands to her ears to drown out the sound.

When the light had faded enough to see, Lia could see Kite staring furiously to his left. When she glanced over, she too began to stare – about ten feet to her right was a small patch of charred grass. Standing in the very center was an Electrike with electricity crackling and fizzing in the damp air around him. Fangs jutted out of his lips in a snarl, and a fresh looking gash across his muzzle.

"Ah, the convenience of it all." Darren muttered, putting away the pokeball he had ready.

"Trike! Elec elec trike!" the pokemon hissed, clearly furious.

'_Oh, he's mad. He wants Kite to leave us out of it.'_ Aurora commented. _'That's the jist of it, at least. I would translate, but he's using a couple words I'd rather not repeat.'_ The psychic looked rather amused.

Kite shouted back, "I can involve whoever I want! If you would just face me, then-!"

Another bolt of lightning shot out, striking the ground only two feet in front of Kite. His hair stood on end from the supercharged air. Kite, however, didn't flinch. He instead nodded to his waiting Nidorino, then met the Electrike's eyes.

"Nidorino, Poison Sting!" he yelled.

The pokemon opened his mouth and shot out a flurry of glowing violet needles. The Electrike responded by jumping in the air, leaving the needles to hit the ground and dissolve the remaining grass. Lia winced – this battle was going to get dangerous fast.

The electric pokemon landed some ways away and shot out a retaliatory Thundershock. The attack, however, was useless – the Nidorino had dug underground, leaving an empty battlefield. The Electrike tensed, now clearly nervous. He could be anywhere…

The ground directly beneath the electric pokemon suddenly burst apart. The next thing anyone knew, a glowing purple horn was two inches deep into the Electrike's belly as Nidorino tossed its opponent high into the air. The pokemon's dark gray eyes widened as blood gushed from his mouth as well as his wound. With a quick snap of his head, the Nidorino dislodged the Electrike and tossed him to the side.

"Stop it!" Lia suddenly shrieked. "Stop it; you're going to kill him!"

Aurora glanced up worriedly at her trainer – her face was deathly pale, and her hands were over her mouth as if she was going to be sick. She was shaking so bad it was hard to believe she could still stand.

A crease appeared in Kite's brow as he said, "Calm down Nidorino, we don't want to kill it. Only capture."

The poison pin pokemon grunted its reply and stared at the stricken Electrike. The pokemon had somehow found his way back to his feet, coughing weakly. His eyes still stared defiantly as he braced himself for his next move. The blood dripping from his mouth was bright red, greatly contrasting the sick blackish red blood falling from the poisoned wound.

"Nidorino, Poison-"

Kite's command was cut off by a sudden move. The Electrike had spun and kicked up a huge cloud of dust, obscuring everyone's vision. By the time it cleared, the pokemon was nowhere to be seen.

"YOU DAMN COWARD!" Kite screamed at the top of his lungs as he took off in pursuit of the electric pokemon. The Nidorino followed quickly, and soon they were both gone.

Darren, however, noticed something off to the side. He walked a few feet away and lightly swiped the grass with his fingers, noting with interest that they came up wet with blackish blood.

"…Lia, Kite went the wrong way. That's Electrike's over this way. Are we going to follow it?"

He heard no response, so he stood and turned back towards her. "Lia…?"

The girl was on her hands and knees, shaking even worse than before. Aurora was standing nervously by her trainer and beckoned Darren over to help. He was over cautiously and helped Lia sit up.

"Uh, Lia?" he inquired.

Lia wasn't looking at him. Instead, she was staring into the distance, her face completely pale. Her mouth was moving weakly.

"Bl…blood…" she whispered.

"Lia, I can't hear what you're-"

"Blood, blood!" Her voice was now a hysteric scream. "There was so much blood everywhere! It kept pouring and pouring, sinking into the earth… Filthy, disgusting blood!" she shrieked.

Darren's eyes went wide – he had never suspected Lia would lose it like this. He shook her shoulder hard and yelled, "Hey, get a hold of yourself!"

Suddenly Lia stopped shaking, as if she finally regained control of herself. Her hands covered her mouth again as she took a couple of deep breaths.

"S-sorry…" she mumbled from behind her hands.

"Geez Lia, what the hell was that?" Darren sighed, falling back to sit down. Although his words were harsh, it was clear he was relieved.

The girl stood up slowly, using Aurora to support herself. "It's…nothing. I'm sorry I reacted like that. C'mon, let's go find that Electrike…"

As Lia walked away, still wobbling slightly, Darren ran his hands through his hair. "Like hell it was nothing." He hissed to himself. "Damn it, Lia…"

It wasn't very hard to follow the blackened trail of blood right to the Electrike. He was lying rather uncomfortably in the shade of a tree, as if he had fallen and couldn't get up. There was a small pool of blood surrounding him, but his mouth had stopped bleeding. As soon as he saw the group, he began to hiss.

'_As usual, you shouldn't approach a wounded wild pokemon. We have to keep our distance.'_ Aurora warned.

Lia knelt about twenty feet away from the Electrike, hoping she was out of his striking radius. The pokemon watched them warily, lips still raised in a snarl. The girl slowly removed her pack and began to rummage through it.

"No…no…ah, here it is." Lia said, pulling a small spray bottle out. The words "Full Restore" were written on it. She cautiously started to approach the injured pokemon.

The Electrike began to hiss loudly, now coughing up blood again. He struggled into an upright position, apparently ready to flee again.

"W-wait!" Lia cried out, getting to her feet. "I…I just want to help!"

She sprayed a little of the potion on Aurora and said, "See? It's not bad!" Aurora gave what she hoped was a convincing smile.

The Electrike relaxed just a tiny bit, staring at her with confusion and mistrust in his dark gray eyes. He finally barked a weak command.

"What did he say, Aurora?"

'_He doesn't want you to come near him. He says I can come over and give him the medicine, though.'_ the psychic replied, struggling to translate.

Lia nodded and quickly instructed Aurora on how to use the Full Restore, then gave it to her. The Kirlia approached him carefully, trying to plan various escape plans. After all, being bitten by a bloody Electrike wasn't high on her priority list.

He growled even as she administered the cure, fangs bared threatingly. The wound in his belly slowly mended itself before their eyes, and even the gash on his muzzle began to fade. He quickly sprang to his feet and hissed, causing Aurora to teleport back to Lia, but he soon wobbled and fell down again.

Lia pulled a small roll of gauze wrap and offered, "If you come over here, I'll wrap up your wound. It won't get infected that way."

The Electrike hesitated, then got to his feet and approached Lia. He flinched when she touched him, but remained still as the bandages were wrapped.

"Aurora, ask him what his name is." Lia said as she peeled off a band-aid for his muzzle.

After a short conversation, Aurora responded, _'He says he's Rakurai. You can call him Raku, but not Rai.'_

"Hey, Lia." Darren suddenly interrupted. "If you haven't noticed, it's getting towards sunset." He checked his watch and added, "Yeah, it's about 7:30. Let's set up camp."

"Okay." She then turned towards Rakurai. "Hey, we're gonna set up camp now. If you stick around, we'll give you something to eat."

When she noticed his narrowed eyes, she added, "Don't worry, I won't even try to catch you. He won't either." She pointed towards Darren briefly. "Besides, you'll be too weak to hunt like that, right? Some free food will do you good."

Raku finally grunted what seemed to be an agreement before lying down in the grass and watching them impassionedly. Satisfied that he'd stay, Lia got ready to settle in for the night.

Now that they had tents, camping out had become ridiculously easy compared to before. Lia simply pulled out a red canteen-sized capsule and opened it, pulling out the Red Tent. It raised itself while on the ground, so she could attend to other things.

"Darren, does this wood look good for the fire?"

He came over and snapped the stick in half examining it carefully. "Yeah, it's not too green. It'll take a while, but it'll light."

She nodded and began to gather more sticks. She was lucky to have found Darren, considering how much he knew about surviving outdoors. She would have hated to spend her journey sleeping under trees in her sleeping bag, trying to light a fire with two sticks.

Since Darren always carried matches with him, Lia didn't have to release Kou just yet. She had a feeling that the Combusken would pick a fight with Rakurai. Kou was just weird that way.

Darren held up two cans and said, "Corn chowder or clam chowder. Your choice."

"What? We're out of hot dogs?"

"They're perishable, smart one. You'd get sick."

Lia pouted, trying not to look too disappointed. Sometimes she hated travelling because you had to eat out of a can all the time. It's no wonder so many kids dropped out in their first month.

"Clam chowder, then."

Their pokemon had all eaten earlier, so the food was only for Darren, Lia, and Rakurai. The redhead had brought disposable bowls, so no more eating off of leaves. Lia set a bowl down in front of the Electrike.

"Here you go, clam chowder." She sat down a little ways away from him and watched him eat.

The pokemon wasn't one to let his guard down. His eyes never left her as he ate, occasionally baring his fangs for show. The trainer, however, was busy studying him. He was more slight and lean than the other Electrike they had seen along the route, so he was either young, underfed, or most likely, both. His green and yellow fur was still matted with dirt and blood.

The second he finished his meal, Rakurai jumped back a little. Noting that Lia made no attempt to follow him, he gave a stiff bow in thanks. He then fled into the grass and was gone.

"So you really didn't catch him. Wow, you're painfully honest." Darren noted dryly, finishing his meal. "What if Kite finds him again?"

"I…I don't know…" Lia said, rubbing her temples. "It's just…I don't want to take the easy way out. What kind of person would I be to take advantage of a pokemon who's willing to get stabbed just to avoid capture? No…"

She stared up in the sky, seeing faint stars in the bluish purple void. "If I catch a pokemon, it's going to be in a fair battle with both pokemon at their best. And I won't resort to dirty tactics to achieve my ends."

Darren laughed faintly. "You're so idealistic."

"I try to be. I really do."

Some hours later found Lia staring into the embers of the fire, poking it idly with a stick. She was the only one out – even Aurora was asleep inside the tent. She heard a faint rustle and turned back to find Darren sticking his head out of the tent.

"Oi, Lia, it's past midnight. Get some sleep, we've got a lot of walking to do." he mumbled, a tired edge in his voice.

"I'm…I'm not really sleepy…" she muttered, resting her forehead on her knees.

She heard more rustling and a faint thump, and she knew Darren had sat down beside her.

"Don't give me that. At least try to get some sleep." he encouraged. He studied her for a few more seconds before saying, "…You really are tired, aren't you?"

Lia looked up, the red embers reflected in her blue eyes. She then turned back to the fire and whispered, "To tell you the truth…I'm scared of sleeping. Whenever I see a lot of blood, I'm sure to have a nightmare that night. It never fails."

"Well, they're not real."

"How are you so sure?" she replied, her voice no longer a whisper. "What if your nightmares are truth? A truth that you can stand while you're awake?"

Darren ran his fingers through his hair and said, "Listen, just try to get some sleep. If you start to talk or scream or cry or whatever, I'll wake you up."

"Okay…I'll try."

Lia crawled wearily back to her tent and laid down, pulling her sleeping bag protectively around her. She smiled wanly at Aurora, who was snoring lightly, before attempting to close her eyes.

------

_That day was a good day for Lia._

_The four year old girl was humming cheerfully as she played with a Baltoy doll, spinning it across the floor. Because she had been good and memorized her runes, she was allowed three days in the outer sanctum._

_At first, the buzz of the outer temple was so exciting that she couldn't sit still. The inner area that she lived in was always so empty and made her terribly lonely. But now that the novelty had worn off, she was content to just listen to human voices._

_Suddenly, there was a deafening boom and the whole room shook. Everyone standing was thrown to their feet, and Lia fell forward, hitting and bruising her elbows._

_All at once, everyone began screaming._

"_What was that?"_

"_It was an attack! An attack on our tower!"_

"_Hurry! Close and lock the temple doors!"_

_Lia was nearly forgotten in the resulting panic. Several more explosions rattled the very foundation of the temple, and dust began to filter down from the ceiling. The small girl coughed and coughed, reaching up for anyone that neared her. Usually she would be attended to immediately, but no one seemed to see her now._

_The doors didn't take long to fall. Several charred Electrode rolled to the side as a pack of Mightyena slowly entered the room. They each had blood dripping from their fangs. Behind each pokemon was a strange-looking person dressed all in green, staring them down with cold eyes._

_One servant stepped forward. "Mainlanders! How dare you come into this sacred place, slaughtering our people! Leave! Leave now!"_

_Lia saw the Mightyena lunge, fangs open and drooling. Suddenly, someone seemed to remember her, throwing their hands around her wide blue eyes and snapping her head back. But that didn't block out the sound. The horrid scream that faded into a sickening gurgle, then silence._

"_Lia-sama! We must go in…to summon our master…" the servant hissed in her ear._

_The child was picked up roughly and thrown over a sharp shoulder, knocking the breath out of her. Now that her eyes were unprotected, she was free to see the lifeless body on the ground, throat ripped open and bleeding all over the shining marble floor._

_Lia began to scream._

_The green strangers looked up suddenly. "It's her! The child that our leader wanted to kill personally!"_

_The Mightyena turned and began to give chase, and Lia screamed harder._

_But before she knew it, she was "safe". She was is the inner sanctum, thrown onto the altar roughly. The servant that carried her grabbed her by the front of her robes._

"_Call him! Call Rayquaza!" he shrieked hysterically._

_The small girl nodded fearfully and began the ritual as she remembered. However, there was no response. Lia suddenly put her hands to her heads and winced._

"_What's wrong?" shrieked one servant, shaking the child dangerously. "Why isn't he coming?"_

_Lia cried, "I don't know! He said…he said he was sorry!"_

_The servant froze, horrified, before striking Lia roughly across the face. "You're lying!" he screeched._

_Several dropped to their knees. "Oh god…we're going to die…"_

_Suddenly a servant, a woman this time, yelled, "Wait! They just want to kill Lia, right? Let's give her to them!"_

_The child's eyes widened in terror._

_One feebly offered, "We can't…she's the Emerald Destined…"_

"_What good is the Emerald Destined without Rayquaza? She's useless! A useless little freak who's going to get us all killed!" the woman shrieked before dissolving into tears. "My daughter…she's probably dead now…oh god, she's only twelve! Why? Why us? Ray…Rayquaza…WHY DID YOU ABANDON US?!"_

_As the woman completely broke down, Lia crawled away unnoticed. Was it true? Was she now useless? Should she…should she die for everyone's sake?_

"_I…don't want to die… I don't want to die. I don't want to die!"_

_She sobbed these words over and over like a chant – it was the only thing that kept her going, kept her sane. There was a way out – a window. She slammed her fists into it as hard as she could, noting with pleasure that it broke. But suddenly, little lines of red appeared all over her hands and arms._

"_Bl…blood… I'm bleeding! I'm bleeding! Ah…ah…AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"_

'_If you bleed, you die. If you bleed, you die. If you bleed, you die…' _

_Lia leapt out of the window in terror, afraid to even brace her fall for all the blood. She hit the ground and immediately got up to run._

_Mother._

_She had to find her mother._

_But where did her mother live? She had no memory of ever being outside the temple. Was her mother even alive? Could she be, like the hapless servant lying in a pool of her own blood?_

"_Mama! MAMA!" she screamed running through the crowded, chaotic streets._

_The small girl rounded a corner and came face to face with a pair of crimson eyes._

'_Kill. Kill. It'll kill me. I'll bleed. I'll die.'_

_She jerked away but couldn't evade the fangs. They sunk deep into her left bicep, and instantly warm blood gushed all over her arm. She pulled away in terror, worsening the wound and causing unbearable pain._

_Lia screamed again._

"_SAVE ME! SAVE ME MASTER RAYQUAZA! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! BL-BLOOD! THERE'S SO MUCH BLOOD!"_

_------_

"Lia! LIA!"

Her eyes snapped open. She had broken out in a cold sweat, shaking and clutching Darren's arm. She slowly released him and hugged herself tightly, crying miserably.

The boy sighed, "Listen Lia, if it helps…you can hold onto me. For ten minutes only."

As soon as he said it, the girl clung to him desperately, face pressed into his sweater. Darren stared down at her, and briefly an image of a crying blue-haired woman flashed across his mind… He sighed and loosely held her back.

And that's where they remained until morning.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Long chapter...so tired... But please, review as always.


	18. Chapter 17: Of Kite

So here's chapter 17! Coincidentally, I re-wrote chapter 1. It should be acceptable now. I put in a whole bunch of new stuff, so check it out!

Disclaimer: As far as I know, I own the idea of a little village under Cycling Road Plaza. But not Cycling Road, nor Pokemon Emerald, nor Pokemon in general.

-----------------------------------

"Good morning Darren!" chirped a cheery Lia.

Now this was unexpected. Around daybreak, Lia had just let go of him and disappeared, leaving him alone to feed her pokemon and calm a suddenly furious Aurora. And here she was, acting like nothing had happened.

He just wouldn't ask.

The girl continued, "Sorry I wasn't around to feed everybody. I just needed some air."

She walked by him and grabbed his arm, whispering into his ear, "I'm fine, so don't worry about it, okay?"

Before he could respond, Lia had moved on to Aurora, laughing as her Kirlia latched onto her arm. Darren ran his fingers through his hair in irritation – it was too much to think about now.

Once Lia had properly greeted all her pokemon (and getting kicked in the shin by Kou again), she allowed her façade to fall a little. It was tough, acting so cheerful when she didn't really feel like it. She just wished she could remember what the dream was about…

Suddenly, a picture flashed across her mind. A small, terrified girl, screaming with blood all over her arms.

"Ugh…" Lia mumbled, wincing. What was that?

"Hey, Lia, we're leaving!" called Darren, slinging his backpack over his shoulder.

"Oh, right…!" she replied, gathering up her stuff.

She shook her head, copper hair tossing about. Why was this coming back now? She thought these nightmares had stopped eight years ago…

"Stop it." she mumbled to herself. "Stop thinking about it. Focus on your journey. Focus on acting normal. Be normal. Be normal…"

The thoughts were promptly pushed to the back of her mind.

Once again the three were travelling – Darren, Lia and Aurora – across the marshy paths of Route 110. The trip was fairly uneventful – a couple of battles against wild pokemon helped unleash Kou's excessive energy, but she was always promptly returned. Lia didn't feel like dealing with her just then.

Unfortunately, the day wasn't meant to be peaceful.

Just when the plaza was in sight, there was a sudden burst of electricity just off the path about twenty feet away. Lia and Darren looked briefly at each other before running towards the source. There was almost no mistaking it.

Sure enough, the hawk-looking trainer Kite was facing off against the bandaged Rakurai with a new pokemon this time – a Houndour. The hell hound spit blue-white flames at his opponent, which the Electrike narrowly dodged. It was clear that he was too worn to move normally – he had to shock his muscles to twitch into action. The pokemon suddenly stumbled and fell, eyes shut in pain.

Kite took advantage of the situation. "Pokeball, go!"

"N-no!" Lia yelled.

Her scream seemed to awaken him, as his dark eyes snapped open and he sprang away, leaving the ball to snap against the ground.

Kite turned to them furiously and hissed, "You again! I will not have you interfere!" He turned to Houndour and commanded, "Take care of them."

For a horrifying second, Lia was afraid that the pokemon would burn them, but instead it spit a fireball at the ground directly in front of them, setting the ridge of grass ablaze. She winced and fell back, scared of the sudden wave of heat.

Darren hissed under his breath, "He's gonna set the whole damn route on fire…"

With a quick flick of his wrist, he released his Lotad, Leaf. "Water Gun!" he ordered.

Lia snapped out of her daze and began to help. "Nepti, Kou, let's go!"

The Marill and Combusken appeared. Kou, upon seeing the wall of flame, exclaimed, "Com bus ken com!" _'Hey, that grass is on fire!'_ She pointed to illustrate her point.

"Yes Kou, I see that." sighed Lia. "I'm using you next. Right now, I need Nepti to use Water Gun."

The Marill nodded timidly and helped Leaf put out the flames. Once they died down enough, Kou boldly jumped over the fire. She ran in between Rakurai and the Houndour, who was currently using Take Down. She grabbed the skull plate on his head and flipped him to the ground before he even noticed she was there.

The Houndour growled in pain and looked up. Kou had already taken a fighting stance and was waiting, a gleam in her eyes.

"Com bus ken ken – com bus." _'You're my opponent – I can tell.'_

The dark pokemon picked himself up and growled, "Hound our hound?" _'How are you so sure it's me and not him?'_

Kou glanced briefly at Rakurai, who was glaring daggers at her, but clearly too weak to fight much longer. She turned back and replied, "Com bus ken, bus ken?" _'Now that wouldn't be fun, now would it?'_

Kou struck without warning, aiming a Low Kick to smash the Houndour's ankles. He jumped up to dodge, but the Combusken quickly adjusted and hit him with her other leg – a roundabout Double Kick. The hound was sent sprawling to the side, but was soon on his feet again.

"Get in there and attack it, Houndour!" Kite yelled.

His mind was reeling from all the things going on at once. The fire was dying down, but he couldn't replace it because his pokemon was fighting that idiotic Combusken. Well, he had to admit, she wasn't completely idiotic. She was fighting cleverly and stringing together attack strategies, all without the aid of her trainer. She was certainly born to fight. The Combusken was wasted on a trainer like that girl…

Speaking of her, Kite turned to see where she was. Damn, she was helping the Electrike. If only his other two pokemon hadn't been injured in a previous battle…

He shook his head and returned his attention to his current pokemon. "Houndour, shake her off! You can't keep fighting her; I need you to get that Electrike!"

The Houndour, however, wasn't doing so well. Although he was definitely at a higher level, Kou was a demonic fighter. She lashed out at every opportunity, like a cobra or something. Even worse, neither his dark nor his fire moves did much damage. He was left with Take Down.

"Comb bus ken? Ken bus com? Bus comb ken!" Kou taunted. _'What's the matter? Aren't you having fun? I'm having a blast!'_

He furiously tackled her in the gut, which promptly knocked the wind out of her, but she got her feet under him and kicked him hard. The hound made a choking/coughing noise and rolled to the side.

"Houndour! Hound our dour?!" _'Damn it! Are you __trying__ to dislocate my lungs?__'_

"Com, bus comb ken bus. Bus ken comb com ken." _'Eh, you can sell them for a quick buck. Then you can buy the plastic surgery that you so desperately need.'_ It seemed that while wit eluded her, she still could deal out insults.

The Houndour spit out a rude reply and they were at each other's throats again.

Lia, meanwhile, was attending to Rakurai. "Can you stand?" she asked, gently supporting the wounded pokemon.

The Electrike grunted in reply and stood on his own. His bandages were unraveling and disheveled, blood leaking out at the corners. Suddenly his legs shook in weakness and he collapsed again.

"Elec…trike." he hissed under his breath.

"Aurora? What is he –" Lia began, but Aurora cut her off by addressing Rakurai with an incredulous look on her face. After a few more lines of conversation, the electric pokemon fell silent with an embarrassed scowl.

The Kirlia told Lia, _'I think…he wants you to capture him before Kite does.'_ Before Lia could register her surprise, she continued, _'He said that his injuries are too debilitating. He won't be able to hunt – he'll starve to death before he heals. He thinks going with a trainer is his best chance for survival.'_

Lia looked at Rakurai, seeing the regret reflected in his eyes. Even if this was his only option, he wasn't happy about it. She bent down and whispered into the pokemon's ear.

"Listen Rakurai. I know you're not happy about this – and quite honestly, this isn't the way I'd go about it either. But…let's strike a deal. This can be temporary – once you heal completely, I'll let you go if you want."

The pokemon snarled a stiff reply. _'Quit being so damn wishy-washy. I have loyalty, too. You helped me, I'll help you.'_

After a quick note from Aurora, Lia smiled wearily. Not the way she would have things, but… She withdrew a spare pokeball and quickly tapped it against the pokemon's head. Not two seconds after he was enveloped in red light, a blood curdling shriek rose up.

"NO! HOW…HOW DARE YOU! THAT POKEMON IS MINE!!!" Kite screamed, blood rising to his face in blotchy patches.

Lia quickly pocketed the pokeball which hadn't so much as twitched. He must have been really exhausted…

Kite, however, wasn't finished. "HOUNDOUR! GET THAT POKEBALL AWAY FROM HER! FLAMETHROWER NOW!"

Lia paled – oh god, he had actually ordered his pokemon to attack her.

The hell hound dashed around Kou, tackling her well off to the side. His mouth opened and spewed forth a huge blast of the blue-white flame that had previously gotten Rakurai. It rushed at her with blinding speed, the wave of heat hitting her face long before the attack. She threw her arms around Aurora and squeezed her eyes shut…

"Nepti, Leaf, Water Gun!" called Darren's familiar voice.

A wave of relief washed over her – Darren. Darren would help her. She opened her eyes a smidgen to see him masterfully commanding not only his pokemon, but hers as well.

The jets of water overpowered the Flamethrower attack, turning it into steam and blasting back the Houndour. Already weakened by Kou's attacks, the pokemon collapsed and was defeated. Kite, unfazed, withdrew another pokeball. With a quick snap of his wrist, his Nidorino reappeared.

The poison pin pokemon looked almost unable to stand, as if it had barely won a difficult battle. It was in no shape to fight. However, the look in Kite's eyes was beyond logic.

"Nidorino…Poison Sting."

The pokemon, with tired obedience, opened his mouth to comply.

Lia's first thought was to recall Nepti, who was nervously but protectively standing in front of her trainer. Paralyzing fear then took over. She barely noticed Kou's desperate lunge at the Nidorino, knocking the pokemon's head slightly to the side. As a result, only half of the attack came her way.

But the pain was still excruciating.

Hundreds of tiny glowing needles lodged themselves in her arms and legs. They melted and burned, hissing as they disappeared into her skin. She screamed more from terror than pain.

Darren fell to his knees in front of her, face contorted in pain. There were innumerable holes in his shirt. He clenched a fistful of dirt as he ground his teeth together, suppressing the urge to cry out.

Aurora was barely hit by the attack, partially because of Lia's protection and partially from her resistance to poison-based attacks. She looked up worriedly at her trainer's shallow breathing, and Darren wasn't doing much better.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over the psychic. She looked up, startled, to see Kite's yellow-green eyes glaring down at her.

"Move." he hissed, barely above a whisper.

Aurora hesitated, then threw her arms out to protect Lia, her eyes glowing.

"I'm warning you Kirlia. I have absolutely no qualms of giving you the same treatment as your trainer." Kite added.

He took a step forward, but was stopped by a blast of flame. He snapped his gaze to the side in anger, while Aurora did the same in surprise – Kou had never used a Flamethrower attack before.

And yet it was Kou, growling with flames dancing dangerously in her mouth.

_'I don't care what you do with your pokemon.'_

Although she was barely moving her mouth, Aurora heard the angry words clearly in her head.

The Combusken took a step forward. _'I don't care what you do with that Electrike.'_

Kite shot a nervous glance at his pokemon, but they were lying unconscious on the ground. Kou took another step forward.

_'I don't even care what you do to Darren, his pokemon, or even my own teammates.'_

Aurora wavered a little – Kou didn't care? At all? But the psychic noticed that one person was left out of this list.

The fire in Kou's mouth was tinted blue at the edges. Her anger was rising to a fevered pitch.

_'But if you DARE touch Lia, you'll be sorry!!!'_ she screeched, blasting out another blinding Flamethrower.

Kite jumped back in shock, fear flitting across his face for the first time he could remember. The flame flew inches in front of his face, singing the edges of his clothes and hair. He fell backwards onto the ground, scrambling away – it seemed that while he could give threats, he couldn't take them.

The Combusken now stood by Aurora, embers still falling from her mouth when she exhaled. There wasn't another thought in her mind. She made a move to lunge at him again, but Aurora held her back.

_'That's enough!'_ she cried psychically.

_'Kill…I'll kill him…'_ Kou ranted. Although her muscles twitched, she couldn't move.

Kite had quickly recovered and was now on his feet. He was caught between a rock and a hard place – give up the Electrike, or risk getting burned by an enraged Combusken?

His mind was very quickly decided for him.

"FREEZE! POLICE!"

A look of terror crossed Kite's face. He recalled his pokemon and dashed in the opposite direction of the sirens and disappeared into the grass.

Lia struggled to draw another breath. Her lungs were constricting painfully as every muscle seemed to twist itself in agony from the burning poison in every vein. She was vaguely aware of bright light…

The next thing she knew was darkness.

Right after that came the light.

"Ggg…gah!" she said, slurring her words. She sat straight up but was immediately pushed back down by several strong hands.

"She's awake now. Please reinforce the I.V."

"Yes, doctor."

Lia's eyes finally adjusted to discover that the bright lights were no more than florescent lights in an off-white ceiling. The entire room was a neat mix of dark wood furniture and bright white walls, complemented by several silver medical instruments.

She weakly turned her head to see a middle-aged woman in blue bandaging an I.V. firmly to her arm. The mixture dripping into her arm was a sickly red color. She hoped it wasn't blood.

"Excuse me, Miss…Lia? That is your name, right? Your Kirlia recently informed me."

She turned to look at the owner of the voice, which happened to be the doctor. He was rather scruffy, with a wrinkled lab coat and five o' clock shadow, but he couldn't have been older than thirty five. He was holding a clipboard and staring at her with murky green eyes.

Noting her silence, he chuckled, "Oh, right. You were unconscious when you came in. Let me explain."

He opened his arms wide, gesturing to the room and the outside hall. "This is a clinic. Specifically, the New Age Medical Clinic located under the Cycling Road plaza. We specialize in motorbike injuries, obviously, but you and your friend are lucky. We found enough poison pools at the site to make anti-venom."

"Darren…he's okay?" she croaked, her voice sore. She felt oddly light-headed.

"Your rude, red-headed friend? Yes, he's fine – enough to make smart remarks, at least. He seems to have had previous exposure to the venom, so he recovered quickly." the doctor replied, shaking his head.

Lia smiled weakly, then sat up suddenly, jerking the I.V. forward. "Rakurai! Rakurai, my Electrike, is he okay? He was poisoned and really injured…"

The doctor put a firm hand on her shoulder and said calmly, "Don't worry Lia – all your pokemon are perfectly fine. They were checked into the little Pokemon Center next door. The Electrike was in bad shape, but he had a successful surgery to close that stomach wound. He'll be fighting fit in a week or so."

Lia fell back on her pillows, utterly relieved. Still, there was one thing nagging at her mind…

"Wait…how did you guys find us, anyway? I was fighting Kite when I was poisoned."

The doctor sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his neck. "Kite…ugh, that kid. He grew up around here, but his dad never kept a close enough eye on him. He's a nuisance – always picking fights in the bars and running his pokemon down to near death."

"Recently the police cracked down, charging him with three counts of pokemon abuse. The coward ran, though. Whenever we get a report of a lot of smoke along the route, the police respond immediately – he's been known to set fire to places for fun. When we saw the smoke from Houndour's fire, we came, but he had already fled."

Lia ran her fingers through her copper hair, a habit she picked up from Darren. She had been fighting against a criminal – a strong one at that. She had been incredibly lucky. If she hadn't been in the right place at the right time, she could have easily died.

She remembered the feeling in that darkness. The paralyzing fear of death. The glint of green light.

Lia blinked, confused. Green light? There hadn't been any green light…

She looked out the window, seeing that the sky was a deep orange. It must have been late.

"Can I see Darren?" she asked, attempting to get out of bed.

"Whoa, hold on there. In case you don't remember, you were severely poisoned. You have multiple injuries, some that are near life threatening. He can visit you." the doctor admonished.

The girl looked at herself for the first time. Her arms were completely bandaged, save her fingertips, and her legs were the same. She felt her head for bandages and found them around her head, with extra bandages on her cheeks. Geez, she was beat up.

The doctor left and returned with a protesting Darren. From the dazed look in his gold eyes, he must have been asleep. Once he caught her eye, though, he came quietly.

"So you're awake." he said simply.

He sat by her bed lazily, yawning again. He blinked when she gently touched his forehead, pushing aside his bangs to see his bandages.

"It didn't hurt too much, did it?" she mumbled, a guilty look on her face.

He closed his eyes and shrugged. "Not too much. I've been through it before, remember?"

She sighed and flopped back on her pillows. "How's Aurora?"

"Having a nervous breakdown, I believe. You should probably call her." he replied, a small smirk on his lips.

Lia sighed again – Aurora was always like this. She was so mature otherwise, but separate them… She closed her eyes and thought of the Kirlia.

_'Aurora.'_

_'It's about time!'_ came the angry reply.

Lia jumped a little – wow, it had worked. Aurora must have put a tight psychic bond on them. She tried to think again.

_'Um…where are you?'_

_'In the Pokemon Center. Those idiotic doctors wouldn't let me stay with you. Now I'm stuck with the whole crew.'_

Lia saw a brief mental image – Kou and Shadow glaring at each other fiercely as Nepti worriedly stared on. Faelia was sitting near Aurora, watching the scene with mild interest.

_'Where's Rakurai?'_

_'In a separate recovery room – he's alright, though. He asked about you –__ wonder__ed if you were still alive.'_

Lia chuckled, earning a raised eyebrow from Darren. She knew she must have looked strange, laughing at nothing.

"I'm talking to Aurora. I didn't know her psychic powers were this strong."

A look of understanding crossed his face. "Ah, that. Yeah, Hikage does that, too. It's a pretty common thing for the Ralts line to do if they hang out with their trainer long enough."

"Oh…" she said, a bit disappointed. She went back to thinking.

_'Aurora? You still there?'_

_'Yes, of course. Even if I was asleep, you'd still be able to contact me.'_

_'Oh, okay. Well, keep an eye on Kou. Make sure she doesn't cause too much trouble.'_

_'Will do. Recover soon, okay?'_

There was a hint of worry in the psychic voice. Lia smiled to herself and said that she would. She then felt a little pop in her head and she knew the connection had closed. She massaged her temples – she had a headache, now.

"Yeah, it takes a while to get used to. You have a headache, right?" Darren said, snapping her out of her reverie.

"Yeah…" she replied, shaking her head. "I think I'll just sleep it off."

"…No nightmares this time?" he asked, a rare look of serious concern in his eyes.

Lia stared hard at the peeling paint on the ceiling.

"I don't think so. Not tonight, at least."

She smiled wanly at him.

"I'll be fine."

---------------------------------------------

For anyone that cares, I've been working on a side project in Pokemon fanfiction and come up with a trailer. If you want to see it, just let me know and I'll put it on my profile. Review please!


	19. Chapter 18: Of Wishes

This is a long one. Took me a while to write...but it was worth it, right?

Disclaimer: While I did make up the legend of Hoshiko, the general idea of Pokemon is not mine.

--------------------------------------------------

"Come on Kou, at least try." pleaded Lia.

The girl sat outside of the clinic, still wearing a couple of bandages around her head. It had been a week, but the doctor wasn't ready to let them go quite yet. So, the two trainers were left with a lot of free time.

Currently, Lia was trying to figure out how Rakurai battled. However, his training partner was being less than cooperative.

"I never said you couldn't dodge, I just said you couldn't fight back. Is that so hard?"

"Com bus ken! Ken comb bus ken!" she screeched. _'Hell no! __If I'm in a battle, I'm gonna fight!'_

The Combusken lunged at the Electrike, claws bared. Rakurai quickly jumped to the side, growling at her. There was only one bandage on him – a small piece of gauze wrap on his stomach.

"Elec…" he growled. _'Watch it…'_

"Com ken bus! Combusken!" _'Like hell I will! Bring it on!'_

"Elec trike? Trike elec!" _'You want a fight? You got one!'_

Lia watched helplessly as the two pokemon lunged at each other and wrestled on the marshy grass. It was almost comical, considering how much bigger Kou was than Rakurai. Kou couldn't get along with anyone, it seemed.

_'I could practice with Rakurai if you want.'_ offered Aurora, floating over to Lia.

"No, I need you to train with Shadow. Where is he anyway?"

_'Over there, practicing his accuracy. He's learning quickly, I think.'_

Lia and Aurora walked over to spy on Shadow a little bit. The Poochyena was standing in a small clearing, squinting hard at his "target" – a stump – some fifteen feet away. His left, milky blue eye was unfocused, staring into blank space.

Suddenly, he charged at the stump, skimming it on the left side and landing in a heap behind it. He picked himself up and returned to his starting point, shaking his head angrily. He then charged again, leaning to the right so he hit the target straight on.

"Good job, Shadow!" cheered Lia.

The puppy seemed startled by her sudden appearance but soon ran eagerly to his trainer, barking and wagging his tail. His ears suddenly folded back – she was staring sadly at him again. This wasn't uncommon – Lia had always blamed herself for Shadow's bad eye. Even worse, she had no idea how to train the blinded pokemon. She left a lot of it to Aurora.

_'You know, you should__n't__ always look so sad around him.'_ Aurora offered.

The girl let out a sigh and hugged Shadow closely, toying with his ragged left ear. "I…I know. But I can't help but think…that I've made his life miserable. I wonder, should I have caught him at all?"

The Poochyena barked harshly and nuzzled his face into her shoulder. Lia looked surprised for a second, then settled into unease. "Shadow-chan…"

_'Hey, Shadow wants to stay with you. He told me what it was like before you caught him, and it wasn't pretty. He's glad to have a trainer like you.'_ Aurora smiled. _'You're lucky to have a pokemon as loyal as him.'_

Lia smiled wearily. "Yeah…you're right. I'm happy to have Shadow. It's rare to have any creature still like you after all that's happened to him. He's different than a certain pokemon I have, that's for sure."

Aurora smiled and said softly, _'They're more alike than you know.'_

"Hmm? Aurora, did you say something?"

_'No…it's nothing. I was just thinking. Anyway, weren't we going to check up on Faelia and Nepti as well?'_

"Ah, you're right!" Lia replied. She flipped open her Pokenav briefly and checked the time. "Ah, it's past two. I promised Darren that we would eat by two-thirty…"

Lia looked down at Shadow who was still staring at her, searching her face for regret. She merely smiled and bumped her forehead against his. "Work hard, okay Shadow-chan? I'll be back in half an hour."

The puppy barked and returned to his training, his tail wagging from side to side enthusiastically. Lia got up, dusted off her shorts, and left to find her last two pokemon.

Faelia and Nepti were supposed to be training near the edge of the lake, but the trainer quickly figured out that they were not. The Zigzagoon was lying lazily on the bank, watching the leaves drift by on the water. The only sign of Nepti was her buoyant blue tail bobbing on the surface.

"Oi…" Lia mumbled. She knew that Nepti wasn't exactly the battling sort, but she hadn't expected Faelia to be so…lazy.

She poked the Zigzagoon, who merely rolled over. "Fae…come on. How are you supposed to perfect Cut if you laze around like this?"

Lia sighed – she planned on teaching the raccoon Strength and Rock Smash once she could afford the HMs, but so far Faelia hadn't shown much interest.

"Come to think of it…" Lia mused. Faelia never showed much interest in anything. She would be enthusiastic when asked to battle, and she always seemed to do exactly what you wanted her to do.

But when she thought no one was watching her, she had a completely blank expression.

"Ugh, this is so confusing… It's so hard to manage a team when they all have such radically different personalities…" she sighed, blowing up her bangs.

She returned Faelia and pulled Nepti out of the water. The aqua mouse squeaked in surprise and curled into a ball.

"Hey Nepti, it's okay. It's only me, Lia." The pokemon looked up with wide shiny eyes, causing her to smile. "You sure are shy, Nepti. You'd probably make a good pet for someone. But…"

She placed the pokemon on the ground and tapped a finger again her forehead. "Unfortunately, you got caught by a trainer. But you've got spirit in you! You'll be a great battler someday, I'm sure. Let's work hard, okay?"

The mouse hesitated, then smiled shyly. She returned to her nervous habit of twisting her tail with her paws. Lia smiled back and returned her.

"Alright…" the trainer sighed, straightening up and dusting herself off. "Let's find Darren."

As usual, this proved a challenge. Lia didn't find Darren for another fifteen minutes, finally locating him quite a ways from the plaza. She didn't expect him to be doing anything, but…

"Mint, Razor Leaf."

The Grovyle jumped in the air, leaves whirling about her like a whirlwind. The tornado of leaves was perfectly symmetrical, an amazing feat in itself.

"Now, Leaf Blade." he commanded. He was watching the pokemon's every move with a critical eye.

Mint spun rapidly, slicing the leaves paper thin. One floated over near Lia, so she grabbed it and held it to the sun. It was nearly transparent, casting green light onto her face.

"Good, now finish with Sunny Day." He glanced at the stopwatch he was carrying and jotted something down on a scrap of paper.

The pokemon nodded and closed her golden eyes to focus. The area suddenly became illuminated, with golden beams of sunlight alternating with the pale green glow of the leaf slices.

Once Mint landed, Lia finally snapped out of her daze and clapped. "Wow guys, that was great! Was that your contest routine?"

Darren blinked, looking up from his notes. "Yeah…I thought it would be good to start practicing. Verdanturf Town isn't very far from Mauville, right?"

"Ah, that's right. Mauville…there's a gym there, isn't there? I haven't even thought about it." she mused. "The leader's Wattson, right? Electric types…"

Darren knocked her head with his fist, commenting dryly, "Do you ever plan ahead?"

"Mmm…sometimes. But it usually works out, right?"

"Eh, whatever. Let's get going." he replied, picking up his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder.

"Eh? What? But the doctor said-" Lia was cut off, as usual.

"I'm sorry, remind me when I gave a damn." he replied, running his fingers through his red hair.

Lia sighed – why did she even bother? She gathered her pokemon together and prepared to leave with Darren, snatching enough ready-made sandwiches from the Pokemon Center for several days.

"You sure we're good to go?" she murmured, flicking the bandage still attached to Darren's cheek.

"We'll be fine. We were poisoned to the brink of death – I'm sure we can live with a couple bandages." he smirked.

The two left the area without too much fuss, considering that no one knew they were leaving without the doctor's permission. Kou was given the rare privilege of walking alongside the group, provided that she didn't threaten every living thing that looked at her wrong.

"Com ken bus?" _'You got a problem? Huh?'_

Lia pinched the bridge of her nose. "Kou…that's a rock."

The Combusken studied the said rock closer, then grumbled, _'It's a pretty damn offensive rock.'_

The trainer sighed and ruffled her copper hair. Sometimes she really regretted her pity for the offbeat Torchic all that time ago. Still, she admitted with a smile, she wouldn't trade her for the world. …God, that sounded cheesy.

They had been walking for quite some time when suddenly they came upon a trainer sitting in the middle of the route. He was writing in a notebook, studying a couple of Electrike quite a bit away. Still, there was something familiar about his spiky white hair…

"Ryu!" called Lia, running towards him. "It's Ryu!"

The teen looked up, gold eyes widening in recognition. He stood to receive the hug with a laugh, replying, "Yeah, yeah, missed you too. What are you doing out here?"

She looked up, noting how much taller he was than her. "I was on my way to Mauville Gym with Darren."

"Darren?" Ryu inquired, glancing over her. "You mean that scowling redhead back there?"

Lia turned to find that, while not scowling, Darren wasn't exactly grinning either. To anyone else, his face was blank, but Lia was watching his eyes carefully. They were almost unreadable.

"Well well Lia – didn't know you had a bleached haired boyfriend." He replied, giving the pair the once-over.

Lia blinked for a second, then instantly released Ryu, blushing madly. Ryu, for his part, sighed and ruffled his hair, not in the least bit annoyed.

"He…he's not my boyfriend!" Lia squealed indignantly.

Ryu sighed, "You're a little touchy there…Darren, was it?"

"I was simply making an observation."

"It happened to be a wrong one."

"Doesn't matter, it was my opinion."

Ryu's eyebrow twitched – now he was getting annoyed. This Darren, whoever he was, seemed to have a knack for getting on other's nerves.

Lia tried to smooth over the situation. "H-hey guys…let's not fight."

"We're not going to. Not with our fists, at least…" Ryu pulled out a pokeball and balanced it on his finger. "Up for a pokemon battle, Darren?"

The redhead gave half a smirk and pulled out a pokeball as well. "One on one. That's all I'll do."

"Alright then…Blaze, go!"

"Mint."

The Quilava appeared, staring Mint down coolly. The Grovyle stretched idly, acting very much like her trainer. Her sea green leaves sparkled in the light.

"A grass pokemon, huh? A shiny, too… Well, I have my honor. No fire attacks, Blaze!"

The Quilava nodded and turned to his opponent. She crossed her arms and sighed, flicking her head lead in irritation.

Darren smirked, "You're quite a bit like Lia, honor wise…"

He laughed and threw out his hand. "But you'll quickly discover I have no honor. Mint, Leaf Blade."

The Grovyle dashed in and cut her opponent across the face with her blade. He flipped back in midair and landed on his feet, shaking the blood out of his eyes.

"Blaze, don't let up! Quick Swift combo!" Ryu replied.

He dashed forward and rammed into the Grovyle's gut. Then, while they were still in midflight, sharp edged stars exploded from Blaze's body, cutting into the Grovyle. She fell back, blood starting to ooze – there were a lot of cuts, none of them too deep.

Suddenly, she spit blood into Blaze's eyes, temporarily blinding him. She then whipped around and slammed the Quilava with her two tails.

Ryu laughed, "So your Grovyle likes to fight dirty, huh?"

Darren shrugged and replied, "Whatever works."

"Really. Well, two can play at that game. Blaze, Sand Attack!"

Lia stood by as the pokemon continued to battle with a blank look on her face. "Why…why did it turn out like this?" she sighed.

_'Darren just has a knack for irritating people. Ryu's just his latest victim.'_ Aurora hummed, leaning on Lia's shoulder.

"Com bus ken! Ken bus comb ken?" _'I want to battle! Lia, why can't I be battling?'_ Kou complained, tugging on her trainer's arm.

"This is between Ryu and Darren, Kou. You can't just interfere." When Kou opened her beak, she quickly added, "Yes, theoretically you can interfere, but I'm not going to let you."

She shut her mouth with a grumble and crossed her long arms as she sat down.

Lia turned her attention back to the battle, which was still raging on. Ryu had kept true to his word, as there wasn't a burn mark on Mint. However, they each had numerous shallow cuts all over their bodies from various Swift and Razor Leaf attacks.

Blaze bit into Mint's right arm leaf, tearing jagged holes in it. She responded with a quick blow to the side of the head, knocking him aside. He rose again, looking as exhausted as she was.

Just before Ryu was about to issue another command, Darren said, "Okay Mint, that's enough."

The Grovyle dropped her guard and compliantly returned to her trainer's side. Blaze and Ryu stared at them, bewildered.

"You're…just giving up?" Ryu asked.

"It's not that." Darren said. "I just don't feel like fighting a good opponent when I'm not serious about it."

"Then why don't you get serious?"

Darren sighed and shrugged as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I don't feel like it."

Lia and Ryu both face-faulted.

The redhead trainer simply went back to tending to Mint. He tore off the shredded leaf strips and bound it around the arms. She frowned as she compared her arms – one without leaves and one with leaves with holes.

"It'll grow back Mint, you know that." he said, patting her head.

She pouted and puffed out her cheeks but said no more as Darren finished fixing her up.

Lia watched Darren with interest – she had never seen him show a semblance of affection, but he always cared for Mint well. She was probably his favorite.

"That travelling partner of yours is pretty weird, huh?" Ryu laughed, spraying a Super Potion on Blaze.

"Well, yes, he does keep things interesting…" she sighed.

"Ha ha! I can imagine…" he laughed, standing up.

"Anyway, I wanted to ask you guys something – there's supposed to be a big meteor shower tonight. The local legend says that if you wish really hard, you might see Jirachi."

Lia's mouth hung open. "Jirachi?! Really?! Wow, that sounds so amazing! Ah…"

She trailed off, staring at the sky. _'Actually, there are a lot of things I wish for. I wonder…will they be granted?'_

Darren sighed, "It sounds like a pain."

"They'll probably have free food."

"…Really?"

Although he still had a blank expression, Lia could tell he was interested now. She sweat-dropped – was he really that simple? Still, Ryu seemed satisfied with that answer.

"Alright then, let's go! It's not too far…I think…" he laughed while Lia and Darren sighed.

The walk, although probably short time-wise, was agitated by Blaze and Kou's constant glaring and Ryu and Darren's almost-but-not-quite argumentative banter. Aurora, for her part, floated lazily alongside her trainer, eyes closed at the moment.

"Why me…" Lia mumbled under her breath.

It was nearly sunset by the time they reached the area Ryu spoke of. There was a small stone building in the clearing with a small statue out front. The statue, made of glassy white rock, depicted Jirachi descending from the heavens to touch a young girl's hand.

"Ah, here we are – the shrine of Jirachi. It's lucky you guys got here when you did – this event only happens once a year. I've come out here for the past…six years, was it? Seems about right."

Ryu pointed at the shrine and said, "Let's go inside!"

He grabbed Lia's hand and pulled her along, leaving Darren to trail along behind.

Inside the shrine it was dark, illuminated only by hundreds of small, star shaped bulbs affixed to the ceiling. They glowed dully, like real stars. There were a couple rows of stone chair, but the place was entirely empty, save one person.

It was a woman, an elderly one at that, with silver hair pulled up in a bun. She wore a navy blue kimono that almost seemed to swallow her, it was so big. She turned to face them, a kindly smile on her wrinkled face.

"Ah, Ryu, I was hoping you'd come again this year." Her voice wavered, as Lia had expected.

"Yeah, and I brought some friends along this time too! This is my friend Lia, and, uh, her friend Darren." he replied, gesturing to the two in turn.

Lia quickly bowed and said, "Pleased to meet you." while Darren simply offered, "Hello." Even he had the manners to respect his elders. Mostly.

"My my, what a polite girl. Lia, was it? That's a pretty name." the old woman replied.

Lia blushed and hooked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Ah, thank you…"

"Well, let me tell you the legend now. After this, you're free to have some food in the back room, then go outside and enjoy the show. Now let's see…"

The old woman sat down and motioned for the three to sit around her. Then, in a quiet voice, she began to spin her tale.

--- --- ---

_Once upon a time there was a little girl named Hoshiko._

_Now, Hoshiko was a very special girl. She didn't have magical powers or extreme talent, but she did possess a trait that no one else had._

_She had never wished an ill thing on any other being._

_It made her sad to hear the wishes of others. 'Please, give me wealth!' they would say. _

_'I want money, power! I don't care what I have to do to get it, but I want it so badly!'_

_'I wish my mother was dead. Then I could have her inheritance…'_

_'That boy is so mean! I wish he would just disappear!'_

_Although all this went on around her, Hoshiko remained strong. She always wished for forgiveness, for underst__anding and happiness. Her light__ spread to everyone around her, and it seemed that everyone outside loved her._

_Everyone outside._

_No one would have guessed that Hoshiko lived in a broken family__. Her father and mother fought constantly, each blaming their problems on each other. Often, they would fight about Hoshiko._

_'I don't even know why you had a child.' her father sneered, sipping alcohol. 'It's obvious you can't care for her. When's the last time you talked to her?'_

_'I'm not as bad as you.' she replied, lifting a cigarette to her lips. 'You're the one that beats her when you're drunk.'_

_Every day was like this. Every day Hoshiko would leave early and come home late, even sleeping right outside the doorstep when she was too scared to go inside. Every. Single. Day._

_There is only so much a child can take._

_'What's this, Hoshiko? You want to be a pokemon trainer?' asked her mother incredulously._

_Hoshiko nodded, tears welling up already. She was scared. She was so scared of her mother._

_'Don't bother, it's a waste of our money.' her father replied._

_'But-!'_

_'Shut up. We're not paying for some ridiculous dream. Go through school and get a real job.' her mother said, shredding the application._

_As the paper danced before her eyes, words began to tumble inside the girl's head. Faster and faster, until they just exploded out._

_'I…hate you.'_

_Her parents looked up with disgust. 'What was that, you ungrateful __little-?__"_

_She looked up, hate solidified in her indigo eyes._

_'I wish you were both dead.'_

_Suddenly there was a great flash of light, brighter than anything Hoshiko had ever known_

_And when it faded…her parents were gone._

_'M-mom…? Dad…?' she called into the empty house._

_It took her hours of searching, hours of running up and down the stairs screaming at the top of her lungs. Hours to search every nook and cranny, checking in every cupboard and behind every door._

_Hours to realize that she had indeed killed her parents._

_Hoshiko fell to her knees, tears running down her cheeks. What could she do now? She had ended their lives with a prayer._

_So she began to pray._

_She didn't rise from that spot for days. All day and all night, she cried and cried and repeated the same thing._

_'Bring them back. I'm sorry. I want my parents back.'_

_On the seventh night, Hoshiko was approaching her limit. Still, she prayed on. And then, a little gold orb of light floated into the room and hovered before her._

_As she watched, mesmerized, the orb became the guardian of all wishes, Jirachi._

_'You have wished a long time, Hoshiko.' it said in a mystic voice._

_'Yes.' She rose and grasped the legendary's hands tightly. 'I only have one wish for the rest of my life.'_

_'Bring my parents back. I don't care if they're ten times worse than before, I want them back.'_

_Jirachi stared at her sadly._

_'I am sorry. There are some wishes that just can't be granted.__'_

_Hoshiko dropped her arms in stunned sadness. She collapsed to the ground without a thought and thudded against the floor. When Jirachi hovered over her to see if she was alright, she weakly grabbed one of his green tags._

_'If…that is impossible…could at least you come to see me?'_

_The legendary guardian closed its eyes and said slowly, 'So it is wished for, so it shall be granted. Whenever the North Star is at its highest, I will visit you.'_

_'You will not remain alone…Hoshiko, child of the stars.'_

--- --- ---

The old woman ended her story as quietly as it began, folding her hands and closing her eyes.

Ryu rubbed his neck and said, "Geez, I've heard it seven times now and it still bums me out.

Darren sighed, "It was her own selfishness that brought it upon herself."

The old woman looked up for a second, then said, "Yes…I suppose she did."

Lia blinked at the old woman as Ryu said, "Well, I'm hungry now. Let's get some food."

The girl lingered behind a bit and quietly said, "Um, if you don't mind me asking Ma'am…are you the little girl in the story?"

"Oi, Lia! Hurry up!"

"Ah, coming!" Lia bowed quickly and left, never receiving a reply.

A few hours later, once they were all fed, they sat on the grass outside, staring at the sky. Lia fell back with a sigh, Darren and Ryu on either side of her.

_'What do I wish for?'_

Kou bickered with Blaze and Aurora as the humans stared into the sky. The wind was gently blowing, and she wondered if her best friend, hundreds of miles away, was staring at the same sky.

"Hey, it's staring!" Ryu called, pointing to the sky.

Lia's eyes widened as hundreds of blue lights streaked across the sky. She couldn't imagine how anyone couldn't see it; it took up so much of the sky. There was nothing but the infinite dark sky.

Somehow she got a hold of both Ryu and Darren's hands. Neither paid her much mind, as they were each absorbed in their own thoughts. She squeezed their hand tightly and prayed.

_'If there was one wish that I could have…'_

_'…I would for everything to stay the way it is right now.'_

--- --- ---

A golden orb whisked across the sky and flew inside the shrine. The old woman stood and greeted it happily.

"You came. I'm so happy – I don't know how many more meetings we'll have. So have you heard all the wishes?"

Jirachi reverted to its usual form, a worried look on its face.

_'I've heard them…but…there was one that was impossible, even for me.'_

The old woman looked startled, but then calmed down. She stared up at the meteor shower, tears streaming from her indigo eyes.

"There are some wishes that just can't be granted…right?"

-----------------------------------------------------

You all know what wish that was. Please review.


	20. Chapter 19: Of APST

So, this chapter is finally up! It's mostly flashback, so please bear with me.

Disclaimer: I own a car that I can't drive. How sad...and I don't own Pokemon.

-------------------------------------------

"Lia? Hey, Lia, we're almost here."

"Nn?"

Lia rubbed her eyes, blinking blearily into the light. It was morning, early at that. Ryu, Darren, and Lia had hitched a ride to Mauville on the back of truck. They were now packed tightly together, stuffed between several cases of Oran berries. It had taken a day, but they were finally there.

She had been sleeping with her head on Ryu's shoulder, trying to pass the long hours. Aurora was snug in Lia's arms, while Darren leaned against the wooden casing and stared into the distance.

The scenery around them was quickly progressing from swamp to woodlands, which then thinned to reveal a few small country houses. The road transitioned from dirt to rocks, then finally to pavement.

"Wow…Mauville's a huge city…" she mumbled as she squinted into the distance.

She was certainly telling the truth. Mauville City, as the center of all of Hoenn, was an impressive place. The Pokemon Center and Mart were much larger than usual, each being at least two or three stories. They passed a casino on their way in, as full as could be expected. There also seemed to be a large bike shop in the distance.

"The gym should be about a mile past the Pokemon Center." Ryu noted. "But you don't have to go there right away. There's a lot to see in Mauville, and-"

He was cut off as the truck lurched to a stop, throwing them against the crates. This quickly woke Darren and Aurora, who were looking rather cross.

The truck driver was shouting at someone but was quickly silenced. There were several quick footsteps as five figures dressed in strange containment-like outfits rounded the corner. They each had a medical symbol on their arms.

The first man stepped forward and flipped open a badge. "We're the Mauville City Quarantine and Containment Squad. Tell me, do any of you have pokemon out?"

One spoke, "Hey, the girl's got a Kirlia!"

"Damn, a psychic. Well, get them."

The figures grabbed their arms and dragged them off the truck, Lia and Aurora separated from the boys.

"H-hey! What's going on here?!" Lia yelled, trying to pull away from her captors. Aurora simply clung to Lia, her mind too fuzzy and groggy to do anything else.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but Mauville City is suffering from an outbreak of a dangerous virus. It is currently under quarantine and any travelers must submit to a blood test to make sure you're clean. Since you have a pokemon out, your risk has virtually tripled." the man rattled off.

Lia struggled to stay on her feet as she was dragged along with the men, barely able to see Darren and Ryu being shoved into a separate ambulance. The boys weren't exactly going quietly, yelling and lashing out. She was then tossed rather roughly into the back of her own ambulance and had the door shut quickly.

_'Lia? What's going on?'_ murmured Aurora, detaching from Lia and using her eyes to light up the dim containment area.

"I…I'm not sure." she coughed, sitting up straight before being thrown back to the ground as the vehicle jerked forward. She struggled back up and said, "Some kind of sickness. They think we might have it."

_'What?! What kind of sickness?'_

"They didn't say. But I think it can hit both humans and pokemon the same, since they were worried that you were with me."

Aurora fell silent, face etched with worry. This wasn't good – things tended to be particularly bad when psychics got sick. Out of body experiences and the like – not a pretty picture.

Lia sighed and laid back down on the floor. Why did these sort of things always happen to her? Couldn't she have a normal journey? Her eyelids started to droop… She quickly fell asleep on the cold tile of the ambulance, still exhausted from all the excitement. Then, she was gently shaken awake by Aurora.

"Ugh…what? Are we at the hospital already?" she murmured, sitting up.

_'Yeah, those guys carried you out. You're next to draw blood.'_ Aurora hummed.

The trainer blearily looked around. They were in what seemed to be a waiting room, with twenty or so trainers sitting in chairs like her, various pokemon at their side. There were various nurses in blue milling about, wielding needles and bandages.

Lia jolted awake when a cold gloved hand grabbed her arm and rotated it out. She looked up at the nurse, shying away slightly. The figure smiled from behind her mask.

"I'm sorry hon. Once your test comes back negative, you'll be free to go. Won't take more than half an hour." she said with a cheerful, matronly voice.

Lia flinched repeatedly as her arm was prepped with alcohol. She could already feel the needle slipping into her vein, withdrawing filthy blood…

"What if…the results are positive?" she managed to squeak – her throat was suddenly dry.

The nurse didn't respond. She simply squeezed Lia's wrist until the green vein appeared on the inside of her elbow. As the blood filled her vein, it drained from her face. The needle came out of nowhere, jabbing into her arm with a quick prick.

Lia inhaled sharply and whimpered as the vial filled with blood. She was shaking – she wouldn't be surprised if the needle broke off in her arm. Blood…blood…blood…

The needle came out and pressure was applied before she started to bleed all over the place. Once her arm was wrapped up in bandages, the nurse stared at the girl with pity.

"Hon, you're as pale as a sheet. You don't like needles an' blood?"

Lia shook her head with a jerk. Aurora frowned and patted her trainer's arm comfortingly. The nurse sighed and helped Lia up, leading her to a separate room with the designation "Quarantine Risk Room 4". She helped Lia into a chair and motioned someone over before leaving.

Lia was busy trying to deepen her shallow breathing when a voice yelled, "Hey!"

Fingers hooked themselves under her chin and swept her face up, much to her surprise. She met a pair of blazing orange-yellow eyes.

"Pale, aren't ya?" he chuckled, releasing her and standing up. "Pretty blue eyes, though. Never seen ones quite that color."

Lia blinked, bewildered, at this new figure. Her blood complex was temporarily forgotten as she took in his strange appearance. His black hair was choppy and partially held back by a ragged, blue cloth headband. He wore a lot of red and black, starting with his black and red striped shirt, following his tight black jeans to his red leather boots.

He suddenly jabbed himself in the chest with his thumb. "My name's Kanon! I'm in here 'cause of him."

He pointed over at a rather disgruntled looking Slowking with a cracked shell. He noticed Kanon looking at him and growled.

"They think he's got that disease. I hope that's the reason he's such a…well, you know, all the time, but I have a feeling I'm not so lucky. But it's been so long…" he whined.

He suddenly slapped his forehead, adding, "Ah, I'm rude. Sorry, what's your name?"

"Um…Lia…" she replied.

_'You always attract the weirdoes…'_ Aurora muttered under her breath.

"Lia, eh? So, they think you and your Kirlia got A.P.S.T., right?"

"Um…A.P.S.T.? What's that?"

"Whoa, they really aren't telling anyone anything. Well, for starters, A.P.S.T. stands for Acute Psychic Subconscious Transfer. It's a virus that affects psychic pokemon and their trainers. I'm not sure how it works, but you end up falling into a coma-like sleep for a couple days. No one knows what happens then…"

He suddenly noticed Lia's worried face and laughed, "Don't worry, don't worry! 95 of cases are over in a couple hours."

Lia nodded tensely and stared at her feet. Great, out of one hospital and into the next. She just couldn't get a break, could she?

She suddenly remembered Kanon and put on a smiling face, saying, "Well, while we wait, let's talk. Where are you from?"

He quickly replied, "Oh, you couldn't tell from the Slowking? My hometown's Azalea Town in good old Johto. Slowpoke Well was practically my home."

Lia immediately snapped her attention to him. "Eh? Johto? I'm from there too! I lived in Olivine City!"

"What? No way! I never meet any Johto kids out here!" He sat down near her and eagerly asked, "Did you go to Violet City Trainer's Academy!"

"Yeah – I was supposed to graduate from my eighth year this June, but I moved."

"Eighth year, huh? I graduated from there four years ago. Been journeying on and off ever since."

Lia excitedly replied, and the two were at it for hours. She couldn't be happier – she loved Johto, so having someone to relate to was great, especially since they were so far from home.

"So, in Azalea Forest, there's this shrine, right? The 'Guardian of the Forest' and all that legendary stuff. So I had a school project and…ah, damn, the nurse is coming this way. And she's frowning." Kanon murmured, glancing over Lia's shoulder.

The girl turned and saw the mentioned nurse with two charts in her arms. She stopped some ten feet away from them and began to read off the chart in a monotone.

"Row, Kanon. Makura, Lia. I assume that's you two?"

Lia glanced around – all the other trainers were gone. Strange, she hadn't noticed them leaving…

Kanon replied for both of them. "Yeah, that's us."

"Come with me."

Kanon cursed quietly under his breath before standing up and offering a hand to Lia. She took it and stood, following them into yet another room.

This one had four or five doctors waiting. The door was shut behind them with a resonating click, leaving them alone with the blank faced doctor. Lia huddled behind Kanon, not letting go of his hand. Suddenly, each of them took hold of someone – Kanon, his Slowking, Lia, and Aurora were all being separated.

"Hey! What're you doing?" Kanon yelled, jerking an arm away.

It was quickly recaptured as the doctor rattled off, "Lia Makura and Kanon Row, your blood work has tested positive for A.P.S.T. Due to the extreme risk you present to others, you are being quarantined until the disease passes.

"What?! Positive?!" Lia yelled back as she was slowly being pulled back.

Before she got a response, Aurora's hands flew to her mouth as she gave a sick-sounding cough. Her eyes widened as she realized everyone was watching her with worried looks.

"It's advanced to Stage 2…"

"It will rapidly progress to the next stage. Hurry and find them someplace to rest."

"Right team – let's move!"

Lia was handled a lot more gently now that she was "sick". Well, actually, she did feel a cough welling in her throat. She tried very hard to stop it from coming, leading to an unbearable couple of seconds. You know the feeling.

She was lead into a small hospital room with a single bed. She was instructed to lie down and just wait for a bit. The nurses left the room, leaving her alone.

Lia sighed – she could easily climb out the window if she tried. It was open, after all, and there was only a five foot drop. But she suddenly felt winded – surely a short rest wouldn't hurt.

She climbed into bed, coughing constantly now. Why was it that her joints were hurting? She was fine just a second ago… She suddenly slumped into the comfortable bed and fell asleep instantly.

The nurses outside murmured, "That is the fastest progressing disease I've ever seen."

A younger assistant piped up, "She's going to have a dream about her psychic pokemon now, right?"

The head nurse nodded. "Yes, they call it "Subconscious Transfer" for a reason. Come on, let's check on that Kanon fellow…"

--- --- --- --- ---

_Lia awoke in a forest._

_Well, awoke wouldn't really be a good word since she was dreaming and she knew it. After a few glances around, she found that she recognized the trees – she was in Petalburg Forest. That's the place where she met-_

_"AURORA!"_

_Lia jumped in surprise from the voice__, then from a small Ralts running across her path. Despite only catching a quick glance, she recognized her immediately._

_'I'm in…Aurora's memories? I guess the disease name makes sense.'_

_She followed Aurora quite easily – the Ralts couldn't run very fast. Once she made it past a thick grove of trees, Lia gasped._

_There was a small temple in the clearing._

_She suddenly realized that Aurora was quite far away and struggled to catch up. She wondered briefly why no one had ever discovered this clan of Ralts, Kirlia, and Gardevoir living deep within the forest…_

_Aurora climbed up the steps of the temple, muttering to herself._

_"Stupid elders…so demanding…"_

_She made it up the last step and shuffled inside__. There were several Gardevoir waiting for her, wearing blue sashes around their sh__oulders. She sighed, gathering__ a purple__ sash from the floor and tossing__ it around her shoulders._

_"Prophet Aurora." spoke the first._

_Lia was startled – a prophet?! __Her Kirlia was some sort of prophet? __Aurora merely inclined her head in vague recognition._

_"You must remember your duties! You can't wander off at the drop of a hat!" yelled the second. The first and third calmed him before he sighed, "Explain yourself."_

_"I grew tired of the temple." she sighed. _

_"Grew tired?! Ungrateful child – this temple gives you everything you own! We took in you and your mother after your father died!"_

_She looked up sharply, "Only because I had that vision as a child. Otherwise you wouldn't care."_

_The three grew quiet, silently fuming.__ Lia knew that Aurora had hit the nail on the head._

_She continued, "I don't know why__ you all took it so seriously. It was just the ranting of a small child!__ So I was born with Future Sight – so what?__"_

_"But it came true! You saw it four years before it happened! You saw the ( ) ( ) fall!"_

_Lia blinked, perplexed. The Gardevoir had clearly spoken, and the rest had heard him. But she couldn't hear those words – whatever he said was lost to her._

_Aurora snapped back, "Who cares about that dragon and his people? It has nothing to do with us!"_

_"You __have__ forgotten your duty. Did you forget what Master Ray( ) __told you? You will follow his beloved ( ) ( ) until she returns to him!"_

_Lia shook her head hard – the censor was a little slower this time. A dragon whose name started with Ray…what did he have to do with Aurora? And why was this information being withheld from her?_

_Aurora shook her head with a smirk. "I told both you and him that I refuse, and that's that. If that's all you have to say…"_

_She shuffled past them nonchalantly and continued on to the ba__ck. The elders whirled around, yelling back to her._

_"You cannot defy the god of the sky! It is your duty as a pokemon to follow the path he gave you!"_

_Aurora paused, muttering, "I follow my own path."_

_Lia was suddenly tossed into darkness. The scene disappeared pixel by pixel until there was nothing left._

--- --- --- --- ---

_Aurora jolted "awake"._

_She cursed to herself, kicking a nearby rock. This disease was quite possibly the worst possible thing that could ever happen to her. How had she gotten it anyway? From the air?_

_She paced back and forth in the lush grass, worrying. This was bad. If Lia saw too much of her past, everything could be ruined. She would fail-_

_She shook her head, tossing about her green hair._

_No, don't think about it._

_She fell back into the grass, exhausted. Strange, there seemed to be unusually sandy soil. Aurora sat up suddenly and looked around wildly. _

_A long, sandy beach with a beautiful sea. An overwhelming smell of sea salt. Wingull crying loudly in the distance._

_Aurora was on Olivine Beach._

_'Wow, it __is_ _beautiful here. Lia wasn't lying.' she mused. 'Speaking of her, she must be nearby…'_

_Right on cue, two girls dashed past her towards the sea. One had wild red hair in ten or eleven braids and mischievous green eyes. Her bathing suit was a frilly two piece with Skitty printed all over it, rather fitting for an eight year old._

_The second was definitely Lia. Her hair was shorter__ and lighter than it was now, but her bright blue eyes were unchanged. Her one piece had a large Sunkern print._

_It was easy to notice that something was wrong._

_Lia was stumbling rather than running. Her laugh was forced, and there were really dark bags under her eyes. She just looked unwell._

_"Lia! Come on! We have to get to the beach before all the big kids get here and hog it all!" called the redhead._

_"I'm coming Irene!"_

_Lia stepped forward but stumbled. She crumpled to the ground in a heap and didn't get up._

_The world around Aurora blurred and spun rapidly. When the world corrected itself, she found herself in a small, one story house. There were several people huddled outside a single door, talking in hushed tones._

_Aurora recognized Irene, now in a sundress and crying._

_"She just fainted! I don't know what happened! What's wrong with her Mr. and Mrs. Makura?!" she yelled._

_The woman knelt down and hugged her. "We don't know, sweetie. Let's listen to the doctor, okay?"_

_A man that looked rather like a doctor cleared his throat and __began, "Well, it seems like Lia is suffering from insomnia. The lack of sleep is making her very sick. The trouble is…she seems to voluntarily keeping herself awake."_

_"Voluntarily?" asked the other man angrily. "You're saying my daughter is doing this to herself?!"_

_The doctor raised his hands defensively. "I'm just telling you the facts, sir. There must be something about sleep that she doesn't like. Maybe she has particularly bad nightmares?"_

_The other two adults exchanged meaningful glances. The woman bent down and whispered something to Irene, who nodded her head and left, still sniffling. The parents then opened the door to the room._

_"Lia? We're coming in, sweetie…" murmured the woman as they entered._

_Aurora shuffled closer to the action, interested now. The room was very clean and nice for a child's, with shelves __lined with dolls. Lia was curled up in the corner on her bed, tearing a sheet of paper into shreds. She looked up briefly, the dark rings under her eyes offsetting the blue eerily._

_"Mommy…Daddy…is there something wrong?" she asked, now folding the paper absent-mindedly._

_The woman burst into tears and ran forward to hug her child.__ Lia looked vaguely surprised but didn't seem to stop folding her paper. Her arms were shaking but otherwise she seemed unfazed. The paper was her sole focus._

_Her father leaned against the wall and put his face in his hands. "God…what is wrong with my poor daughter?"_

_Aurora glided past everyone and climbed onto the bed, staring at Lia. The girl couldn't see her, of course, and finished her little origami project without so much as looking at it. The psychic was shocked at what it ended up being._

_It looked oddly like a dragon._

_The world around her darkened as the picture disassembled pixel by pixel. She suddenly felt a presence behind her and found herself frozen. With every muscle frozen, she heard a soft voice in her ear._

_'Stay out of it.'_

_And then the darkness was absolute._

--- --- --- --- ---

"She's coming to."

"Already? That must be one of the fastest recoveries recorded!"

"Well, it was only a very mild case. It shouldn't be too surprising…"

Lia's eyes fluttered open. Her head was pounding something terrible, but at least she was awake. She had never liked being asleep much.

She sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes. The nurses chatted on to each other as they set about cleaning the room – looks like she was going to be released soon.

"Um…" Lia mumbled.

"Oh, you're awake now! Yeah, once you've woken up, it's a sign that the disease is gone. You're A-OK!"

Lia sighed heavily, got out of bed, and wandered out of the room.

--- --- ---

It took several hours for Lia to get organized. She picked out Aurora from a nearby room and gathered her possessions from its holding room. She then had to call both Darren's and Ryu's Pokenavs to figure out where the heck they were.

Ryu had been called away on urgent business. Apparently the Professor had made a "huge discovery" that he just had to see, so Ryu was on his way back to Littleroot. Lia was disappointed that their visit was cut so short, but she knew that wouldn't be the last she saw of him.

Darren had crashed at the Pokemon Center for the night after he was released. He apparently then traded something that wasn't his for a Coin Case and narrowly avoided a fight.

"You should have seen it." came his laugh from the Pokenav. "The guy was so angry that I traded his mail for a Coin Case."

Lia sighed, "What happened next?"

"Oh, he wanted the Coin Case. I hit him over the head with it and ran for it."

"You got away, I presume?"

"Of course."

Lia pinched the bridge of her nose. The very fact that she wasn't surprised made her question her choice of a travelling partner. She finally asked, "Where are you now?"

"At the Game Corner, playing the slots. You should come too and try to win us some money."

Lia frowned – true, they were running low on money. Travelling was ridiculously expensive, and she hadn't battle in a while. Plus, they would need to go shopping now that they were in town…but was gambling really the way to cover that expense?

"I'll be right over."

And so, with a dubious intent, Lia and Aurora headed for the Game Corner.

--------------------------------

Gambling is fun...right? We'll find out next chapter... As always, please review.


	21. Chapter 20: Of the Third Gym Battle

Three things to note this chapter: 1, it's unusually long. Not that you mind, right? 2, Kou's got a dirty mouth. It's her personality, I guess. Wonder where she learned them? And 3, I've revamped chapters 1-9. Feel free to look back on them! I did write them, what, two years ago?

Disclaimer: I own the threat of an Organic Chemistry test next Tuesday. Yep. But not Pokemon.

--------------------------------------------

"How old are you again?"

Lia shifted uncomfortably, not looking the casino security in the eye. Aurora floated lazily near Lia's shoulder, glancing around the area.

"Er…thirteen…" she mumbled.

The security man raised an eyebrow. He seemed to be making a decision as he frowned down at her.

"But I'll be fourteen in five months!" she added hastily.

The man sighed, "Fine, you can go in. Hell, there are probably ten year olds in there."

Lia darted past the man before he could change his mind and pushed past several glass doors. The inner room smelled overwhelmingly of cigarette smoke and was brightly lit. There were sketchy looking characters playing the slots, holding a cigarette to their mouths with shaking hands. Somewhere to her left, a ten year old kid swore loudly and kicked the machine, swearing again when he hurt his foot.

Lia sighed, "This place…"

_'…seems like just the kind of place Darren would come to, right?'_ Aurora finished.

Still, not about to lose an opportunity to win some money, Lia weaved her way through the crowd and made it to the front desk. There were several receptionists there, counting the profits for the day.

"Um, excuse me? I'd like some coins…"

The middle woman looked up. She blinked and asked, "How old are you?"

"Old enough to get in."

"Right. Well, fifty coins are 1000 P, or you can buy 500 for 10,000 P."

Lia stepped back in shock and replied, "That's…that's expensive!"

"Hey, it's a casino. We gotta fund the city somehow. So, do you want coins or not?"

Lia sighed – yes, the city needed money, but… To think that Mauville was funded by such a sketchy operation. That would explain why the city was so nice looking on the surface. The Pokemon Center even had multiple levels like a hotel.

"Er…could I just get 25 coins? I really don't have the money for much else…"

"Sure. That'll be…500 P."

Lia paid the woman and got her coins, only to discover that she had no coin case to speak of. She eventually dropped the coins in her pocket and tried to find Darren. She had to shove past dozens of people, unable to see very much because she wasn't incredibly tall. Eventually, she ended up bumping into someone on the slot machine.

"Oh, sorry…" she blinked, suddenly recognizing the person. "Kanon?"

The dark haired boy spun around in his chair and laughed, "Hey, it's Lia! I thought the hospital still had you in its clutches. They let Taz and I out a couple days ago. I had to endure the most boring memories ever…who knew that Slowpoke led so very uneventful lives?"

"Yeah, I just got out today. I was looking for my travelling partner, actually."

Kanon looked about to reply, but the machine buzzed for him to insert three more coins. He begrudgingly put in a few more and pulled the lever before returning his attention to Lia.

"You're too short to see him, eh?" Lia blushed and nodded sheepishly. "Eh, it's alright. I wasn't always 5'11" myself. So, what does he look like?"

The girl thought for a second about the best way to describe him. "He's taller than me. Red hair, gold eyes. Most likely cosplaying as a pokemon. Loud mouthed and rude, with a constant air of nonchalance."

"Ah, I've definitely seen him. He was wearing a Meowth ensemble, I believe…"

Lia sighed at how easy it was to pick Darren out. Did he really annoy people that much?

Kanon led Lia over to the roulettes, where Darren was indeed gambling. He was surrounded by men and woman more than twice his age, smoking cigarettes and staring at him irritably. The boy paid them no heed and instead studied the board.

"Green Wynaut 12." he said decisively, leaning back in his chair.

The official nodded and took the other bids, then rolled the ball. The roulette spun round and round, becoming a silver blur. The ball finally slowed down, barely making it over each ledge until it rested comfortably in a little green square with a Wynaut in it. The number 12 was above it.

A woman stood up abruptly, scattering her betting chips. "He's cheating!" she shrieked. "There's no way he could win five in a row with such narrow bids!"

The official calmly replied, "It's a game of luck, ma'am. Now, I believe each of the bidders owe Mr. Darren 500 coins each."

Ten people begrudgingly withdrew the coins, including the woman, would flung them in his face. He calmly collected the five thousand coins and put them in the coin case that, Lia recalled, he shouldn't have really had.

"Um…Darren?" she said eventually. "Can I talk to you?"

He looked up and said, "Yeah, sure, I'm pretty much done here anyway."

Lia bid goodbye to Kanon and joined Darren, and together they made their way back to the front. Darren navigated over to a prize counter that was lined with stuffed dolls and TMs.

"Hey, I want to exchange these coins for some TMs." Darren said.

As the woman nodded and turned away, Lia whispered, "What are you going to do with those TMs anyway?"

"Sell then for five times their value, of course. Honestly Lia, you need to think about things like this."

"I'd rather not. I don't want a mind as twisted as yours." she replied dryly.

Darren laughed and got his TMs. Lia decided to trade all her coins for a cute looking Torchic doll and stuffed it in her bag. She had her eye on it since she got in – it would make a good reminder of how cute Kou had been. Too bad she hadn't acted that cute…

--- --- ---

Darren and Lia stepped out into the bright light outside. The day was nice, with only a few clouds drifting across the sky.

Lia flipped open her Pokenav and scrolled through the map conveniently contained in the device.

"Hmm, the Gym is about…half a mile north of here. Let's move on!" she chirped, putting the Pokenav away.

"Eager, are you?" Darren noted.

"Well, the more badges I have, the better. How else am I supposed to battle my dad?"

Darren raised an eyebrow. "Is that what this is about?"

"Not entirely! But…I have to admit, it is an incentive. What, you never wanted to battle your parents in a battle?" she inquired.

"They weren't trainers, they're scientists. They only have a few pokemon around."

A moment of silence, and then, "EEH? Your parents are both scientists, Darren? Wow, that's amazing! What do they do?"

Darren took a step back, shocked at her reaction. "I don't know why you're so amazed. Being a scientist is nothing special. They do a lot of research in the different types and such."

When Lia's expression turned confused, he added, "For example, my mom's only pokemon's a Pikachu. Named him Pyro because he's been genetically engineered to use fire attacks. Ever seen a Pikachu use Flamethrower?"

"Th-that's amazing! Darren, why didn't you tell me before?"

"It didn't seem important. It has nothing to do with you." he replied flatly. The tone of his voice suggested that the conversation was over.

Her face fell, feeling slightly hurt. "Well, yeah, but –"

"Let's get going. Wattson's not going to wait forever."

Lia sighed as Darren walked away. He shut her off again. He didn't like to talk about his family. Why? Did they hurt him somehow? She frowned – she didn't like that idea at all.

Aurora tapped her on the shoulder, snapping her out of her trance. She yelled, "Wait up, Darren!" and ran after him.

--- --- ---

They arrived at the gym in more or less silence, neither having much to say. However, when they reached the gym, there was quite a disturbance to distract them.

A young boy and an older man were arguing vehemently in front of the Gym doors. Neither seemed willing to back down, and both were screaming.

"Absolutely not! You are nowhere near strong enough to battle the Gym leader! You'll get too worked up and have another attack!" the older man shouted.

"I will not! How many times to I have to tell you that I'm healthy now?! Just let me try!" the boy hissed back.

Darren sighed, "Ugh, how annoying. Can they take this somewhere else?"

Lia was quiet. The boy had familiar green hair… She walked a little closer and said, "…Wally…?"

The boy turned around, orange eyes wide in shock. Yep, it was Wally alright. He seemed a little taller than last time and a lot healthier. He was almost as tall as Lia now.

"Lia!" Wally replied happily. "It's good to see you again! How are you? How is that Torchic of yours?"

Lia laughed – he was certainly more energetic. The man leaned over and stared at Lia and Darren.

"Wally, do you know these people?"

The boy's face returned to a scowl. "Yes, Uncle. Lia's the one who helped me catch my pokemon. And I want to use that pokemon to challenge Wattson!"

His uncle laughed, "Wally, be realistic. You probably couldn't even beat this girl, much less this Gym leader."

A scarlet blush spread across Wally's face in indignation. He whipped out his pokeball and held it out in front of Lia. His entire arm was trembling in anger.

"FINE! If I can beat Lia in a pokemon battle, then can I challenge Wattson?"

Lia blinked in surprise. How had she been drawn into this? This was the boy who was afraid to even pick up a pokeball not even a month ago. Having a pokemon seems to have drastically changed him.

The man folded him arms across his chest, an incredulous look on his face. "Fine. But if you lose, you must come home without complaint."

Wally nodded, then turned to Lia. His look was almost apologetic, as if to say 'sorry for dragging you into this'.

"Well, I only have one pokemon, so this will be one-on-one, okay?" Wally said, rolling the pokeball nervously from hand to hand.

Lia frowned – he only had one pokemon? Then it must have been Ralts. She knew he wouldn't be able to win like that – it just wasn't possible. As cruel as it was, she resolved to crush him, and to do it fast.

"Right. Go, Shadow!" she called, tossing out the pokemon.

Darren chuckled under his breath, "Oh, cruel are we?" This battle wouldn't even be worth watching.

The Poochyena appeared and instantly poised himself for battle. His posture was much steadier, Lia noted proudly. Wally, however, wasn't so sure.

"He only has one eye? You're not patronizing me, are you Lia?"

Her face settled into an annoyed look. "If you knew how hard Shadow has trained, you'd actually be complaining. I'm not going to go easy on you, Wally."

The boy was annoyed as well by her curt reply. "Don't think it'll be so easy! Go Ralts!"

Lia recognized the Ralts from before. She wasn't quite as delicate as Aurora had been, and actually seemed quite tough. She wouldn't back down.

Unfortunately, Lia wouldn't give her the chance.

"Shadow, Bite!" she commanded.

"Ralts, dodge it!" Wally replied.

Shadow charged, a dark aura gathering around his fangs. The Ralts cleverly dodged to the left to take advantage of his blind right eye, but suddenly Shadow skidded in front of her and bit her arm. The Ralts shrieked as the darkness seeped into her skin, tinting it black.

"R-Ralts!" Wally yelped.

Lia calmly said, "Ah, it's a bad idea to get on a pokemon's blind side. He so much more aggressive that way. He likes to see his opponent, and if he can't, well…"

She gestured towards the pokemon, where Shadow had released the Ralts, watching her carefully as she lay on the ground, clutching her arm.

Wally clenched his fists, tears welling up in his eyes. "Ralts, Confusion!"

The psychic sat up as her eyes glowed with a rose colored light. The pink light brightened and passed right through the Poochyena, much to her and her trainer's surprise. Shadow shook his head with a sigh.

"Shadow, let's finish this. Faint Attack." Lia said quietly.

The puppy's body slowly faded away before their very eyes, reappearing and slamming into the Ralts as a dark shadow. He landed easily on his feet as the psychic stumbled back and fell without another word.

The battle was over.

Wally fell to his knees, his face blank with shock. "I…lost?"

Lia nodded mutely. Shadow ran back to his trainer, tail wagging happily. Sparks of light seemed to gather around his feet and spiraled upward in a familiar manner. Lia blinked – he was…evolving?

Sure enough, the puppy was enveloped in white light, growing rapidly in size. The tattered gray bandana fluttered to the ground, now too small for his head. Once the light faded, Lia could see how much he had changed.

His head came up to her waist now. Instead of the black mane lying smoothly, as it should, it seemed to stick out every which way, falling over his short gray fur. His face seemed calm and mature, his good red eye offsetting his milky blue eye. The scars crossing the right side of his face had not disappeared, but had faded somewhat.

Lia smoothed the fur on his head affectionately, grinning widely. She got out a new bandana, a blue one this time, and wrapped it securely over his right eye once more.

"Terrific job, Shadow. Never thought you'd evolve someday, eh?" she whispered.

The Mightyena gave a wolfish grin in reply, wagging his tail side to side. Lia patted his head again and stood, walking over to Wally. He was holding his Ralts protectively, stifling tears the whole time.

"…Guess I wasn't ready, huh?" he murmured.

Lia sighed and said, "Look, that's not your biggest problem. You can't expect to win very many battles with only a Ralts. Heck, I lose my fair share of battles, and I've got six pokemon. It's all about having a support network."

He looked up at Lia, letting the message sink in for a bit. "…All right. I'll build up my team and come back later."

He stood up and shook her hand. "Thank you Lia-sensei!"

"Sensei?" Lia said faintly. Darren suppressed a laugh all of the sudden, making it sound like a cough.

Wally's uncle finally said, "All right, all right, enough idol worship. Let's get you back – you know your cousin Wanda is worried."

Wally nodded and waved a cheery good bye to Lia. She waved back, glad he was quick to recover. She had been rather bitter about her first trainer loss, against Ryu if she recalled correctly.

"Come on Lia, I'm bored enough as it is. Let's get into the Gym already." Darren sighed.

She nodded quickly and they walked into the Gym.

--- --- ---

"Darren?"

"Yes?"

"Are all Gym leaders in Hoenn completely and totally insane?"

"Most likely."

Lia and Darren were, at the current moment, surrounded by bars of electricity about five feet wide each, extending far above their heads. There were two switches nearby – a red and a blue one.

Lia studied both carefully. "If I press the wrong one, what do you think would happen?"

"We'd probably electrocute ourselves somehow. There are a couple of grounded poles behind us." he replied.

She glanced back – sure enough, there were identical poles behind them. Pressing the button would send that electricity right through them. She sighed and the two proceeded to edge away from the danger.

"I wonder if the taxpayers know about this." Lia murmured.

"How many taxpayers are pokemon trainers? They probably never come here."

"You're probably right."

Once they were out of the way, Lia poked the red button. The electrical fields shifted all at once, turning from blue to red. A small path was opened up, so they were able to proceed a little further.

"How long have we been in here?" Darren asked, patting down his static pulled hair.

Lia checked her Pokenav. "About 45 minutes. A Ground type would be so useful…"

"Well, let's keep going. Press the blue one this time."

--- --- ---

"Wa ha ha! A little charged up, are you?"

Lia and Darren stood across the shiny metal floor from an old man in a fuzzy brown sweater and gold cargo pants. His white hair stuck up in all different directions. While he was looking rather poised, the same couldn't be said for the two trainers.

Their hair was super charged and standing on end. Several dryer sheets that were cruelly placed throughout the Gym were now affixed to various places on their bodies. They were standing about three feet apart, afraid to accidently bump into each other and get shocked. They had rather murderous looks in their eyes.

"Wa ha ha! Well, just touch those metal orbs over there to get grounded." Wattson laughed again.

The two shuffled very carefully to the metal orbs. They weren't even one foot away when a visible shock of electricity discharged from their fingertips and were absorbed into the orb, making it glow. Instantly, their hair fell flat and the dryer sheets fell off.

Lia shook the rest off and muttered, "I hate this Gym already. They just keep getting crazier…"

She finally approached the stage and faced Wattson formally. Darren leaned again the wall lazily as he had done at the last Gym battle.

Wattson laughed, "Wa ha ha! Well, this Gym has a three-on-three battle rule. I'm not allowed substitutions, but you are. Those sound fine to you?"

Lia nodded and withdrew a pokeball. "Go, Rakurai!"

The Electrike materialized on the field, shaking out his short green fur. He glanced back at Lia just once, then turned his eyes towards Wattson. Lia was worried a bit, since she had never battled with Raku, but she had faith in his ability.

The old man chuckled and threw in his own bid. "Ha ha! Go Voltorb!"

The red and white sphere appeared on the field, glaring at Rakurai as electricity sparked around it. Raku grinned, his overgrown fangs jutting over his lips.

"Rakurai, use Quick Attack!"

"Voltorb, Spark!"

The Electrike rushed in and slammed into his opponent. At the moment of impact, the Voltorb released a torrent of electricity, blasting Raku off of it. He flew through the air, bounced off the ground once, and landed on his feet. There was a ridge of charred fur along his forehead.

Lia frown and ordered, "Let's go with Bite!"

Raku growled as the familiar dark aura formed around his fangs. He ran up and bit the Voltorb, putting cracks into its metallic skin. The pokemon immediately let off a high pitched wail that resounded through the arena.

Lia clapped her hand to her ears – damn, a Screech attack… Rakurai, unable to stand the sound released the pokemon and backed off. The Voltorb wasn't looking so good with those puncture wounds.

"Rakurai, go in for another Quick Attack!" Lia called. That should finish it off…

When Rakurai was within five feet of the Voltorb, Wattson commanded, "Self-Destruct."

Lia panicked, yelling, "Raku, get out of there! Hurry!"

The Electrike skidded to a stop and began to sprint in the other direction. The Voltorb glowed a bright white and exploded, sending a shock wave throughout the Gym. Lia was thrown to her feet as Rakurai was blasted through the air.

The girl sat up hurriedly to see her pokemon struggling to his feet. "Rakurai, are you okay?" she called.

He glanced back again and smirked. Yes, it seemed like he was just fine. He still had numerous injuries, though, and dark bruises were beginning to appear under his fur.

The Voltorb, obviously knocked out by attack, was recalled by Wattson.

"Wa ha ha! Your Electrike is faster than I expected. He's a good choice. But he won't last against this next one. Go, Magneton!"

The Gym leader tossed out a Great ball, releasing the strange magnet pokemon into the field. Lia recalled having a camera ruined by a Magnemite once. She wasn't exactly happy about that.

"Rakurai, Spark!"

The Electrike unleashed a bright golden spark in all directions. The Magneton was knocked back, the small dots in its eyes spinning. It quickly righted itself, not too much worse for the wear.

"Magneton, Tri Attack!" Wattson called.

The Magneton formed a small sphere of white light in front of each eye. The top one let loose first, blasting a controlled beam of electricity. Rakurai dodged this narrowly, the fur on his back raising in response. The left eye released a Flamethrower attack which Raku could not dodge, so he was blasted back by the flames.

"R-Rakurai!" Lia called.

The pokemon struggled to his feet, ready to go again, when the last attack was fired. It was an ice attack, spraying the Electrike with ice crystals. The blizzard like wind completely surrounded him, blotting him out of view. When the wind died down, the Electrike was completely encased in thick ice.

"Raku!" Lia yelled. Taking Aurora along, she ran up to the ice and shattered it with her elbow. Despite bruising it badly, she managed to free him. The pokemon took a shuddering gasp of air – after all, you can't breathe when you're encased in ice.

"Return." she said with a sigh of relief, recalling her pokemon.

She walked back to her side of the arena and called forth her next pokemon. "Faelia, let's go!"

As the Zigzagoon appeared on the field, Wattson raised an eyebrow. He hadn't seen anyone seriously use such a pokemon against him. At any rate, he chuckled, he had to take it down.

"Magneton, Sonic Boom!" he called.

The Magneton concentrated sound waves and shot them at Faelia, but he dodged it quickly. It attempted several more attacks, but Faelia was too quick for it.

"Fae, Rock Smash!" Lia called. Her Zigzagoon was a jack of all trades with her HM attacks.

The raccoon leapt into the air and slammed into the magnet pokemon claws first. A burnt orange light burst out at the point of contact, and there was a distinct sound of crunching metal. She leapt back and landed neatly as the Magneton crashed to the ground.

Wattson laughed again, annoying Lia. "Wa ha ha! A Fighting attack, huh? A good choice! My Magneton was always weak to that…well, time for my last pokemon. Go, Manectric!"

--- --- ---

It had been a long battle. The Manectric had taken down Faelia fairly quickly, being bigger and faster than her. Lia had then sent in Kou, and the battle had really gotten interesting.

Kou, as usual, fought like a demon. She kicked and slashed and pecked without order, never leaving an attack unreturned. The Manectric, in turn, was vicious with the electric attacks, scorching Kou badly.

Both pokemon stood on the field, breathing heavily. They both were in a bad shape, Kou noticeably worse than the other.

"Wa ha ha! Brawly didn't lie! The combination of the unpredictable Lia and the demonic Kou really is impressive! It's been a blast battling you!" Wattson laughed.

Lia raised an eyebrow – Brawly had been talking about her? She wondered if the Gym leaders had some sort of secret network?

"But anyway…" Wattson said quietly, suddenly serious. "It's time to end this."

He threw out his arm. "Manectric, use Shock Wave!"

The Manectric crackled with blinding electricity, creating visible layers in domes around him. He then rushed forward at Kou with insane speed. The attack was unavoidable. Each layer hit Kou one at a time, ending with what was essentially a skull bash.

Kou staggered back, her eyes wide in shock. She clutched at the large, charred black spot on her chest as blood trickled out of the side of her mouth.

"Com…busken…" _'You…bastard…'_

She then fell over backwards and hit the ground with a soft thump.

For a while there was silence. No one moved.

Then, slowly, Lia walked out into the arena and kneeled over her pokemon. She touched her pokemon softly, afraid to hurt her more.

"Kou…are you okay?" she whispered.

The Combusken weakly grabbed the front of her trainer's shirt and hissed at her in her language. _'Am I okay? Am I okay?! I lost, you idiot! You were supposed to make me stronger! You…you lied!'_ The meaning of her words was unmistakable.

The pokemon looked ready to make more rude remarks when she felt a drop of water. Then another, then another, and…

Lia was crying, the tears absolutely streaming down her face.

"I'm…I'm sorry Kou. I'm sorry! I…couldn't win."

A shadow fell over the two. Lia looked up to see Wattson offering her a handkerchief. She took it and hid her face shamefully.

"Now now little Lia – you have to laugh at your defeats, not cry! Think of how much you learned right now! You should be happy!" he admonished gently.

She looked away, but the confusion was apparent on her face. Wattson straightened up and sighed heavily.

"Come back went you understand."

With that, he turned and left Lia on the arena. The girl robotically returned Kou and staggered over to where Darren was standing quietly. She half expected him to make a snide remark, but he thankfully said nothing of the sort.

"Off to the Pokemon Center, then?" he said.

"…Right. Then we can go to Verdanturf for your contest, right? We can come back here…later." She straightened up and added, "When I understand."

-----------------------------------------

I actually remember my battle with Wally in Mauville. Shadow was evolved before that, actually, and I killed it in one shot with one freaking Bite. So yeah, I'm actually making the battle with Wally bigger than it actually was. XD It was pathetic...

Please review! Tell me what you like!


	22. Chapter 21: Of the Day Care

Ah, another chapter. This chapter's shorter than the last, but still meets the typical standard of about 3000 words.

Disclaimer: I own about...thirty Mightyena in Pokemon Ruby. Thank you Day Care! But no, sadly, I don't own Pokemon.

---------------------------------------------------------

Lia, although depressed about losing her gym battle, couldn't quite stay mad once she saw the Nurse Joy of Mauville. She wasn't entirely sure she should have been laughing at all.

The nurse across the room had ink black hair straight to her waist with bangs that mostly obscured her face. Her eyes were blue like all the Joys, but they were surrounded by black, thick eyeliner. Essentially, she was a gothic Nurse Joy wearing the bright pink uniform.

"Why is it that all the Nurse Joys we meet are so…weird?" Lia mumbled as they crossed the front hall of the hotel-like Pokemon Center.

"I'm fairly sure they all had identity crises when they couldn't handle being clones." Darren remarked dryly.

When they reached the front desk, there was a Chansey holding up signs for them to read. She waved it in their faces energetically.

"Hello and welcome to the Mauville City Pokemon Center! We hope you enjoy your stay. If you would like to have your pokemon healed, please place them in the machine to your right. If you continue on in the left hall, you'll find our lovely five star restaurant that is provided to trainers free of charge. Thanks for coming!"

After staring at the Chansey and the nurse strangely, they put their pokemon in two of the ten machines there. After the quick jingle, their pokemon were good to go.

"It's only four o' clock, but I think we should stay here." Lia said as she reattached her pokeballs to her satchel. "After all, it's a free meal and a warm place to stay."

"It's May 3rd, Lia." Darren drawled. "It's warm anyway. But sure, a free meal sounds good."

The two made their way to the fancy restaurant down the hall. The waiter frowned down on them disapprovingly – two teens in dirty clothes, along with a Kirlia and Combusken. Why Kou was with them, Lia couldn't honestly say except that she liked her shins to remain in one piece.

"…Follow me, if you will…" the waiter murmured stiffly.

"We will." replied Darren with a smirk. This could be fun after all.

The small group was led to a table far away from the more influential patrons. They were handed menus and left to choose.

Lia was in awe of the menu. Caviar, beef wellington, and expensive looking steaks lined the pages. Better yet, it was all free – for today. Better stock up now…

"Hey Darren, how long would this food last, minus refrigeration?"

"Two days, tops."

"So we're taking all the food we can eat in that period."

"Right."

The unfortunate waiter was left with the order, reeling from the long list of things they wanted.

"Steak and mushrooms –"

"Stuffed salmon –"

"Bell peppers and rice –"

"Shrimp skewers –"

"Com ken bus ken!"

_'She ordered more steak. I, myself, would like the Greek salad…'_

He dropped his pen in shock. The man regretted the Center's policy of taking in any kid off the street and feeding them. Admirable, sure, but you're sure to get kids like these freeloaders. Still, he had to do his job.

"Right away." he said through his teeth as he darted away.

He was hardly ten feet away when Lia laughed, "Ah, we'll eat well for a while, won't we? I was tired of mystery meat in a can."

Darren leaned back and let out a short chuckle. This type of manipulation was his specialty. Lia wasn't too shabby, either – maybe she would be a useful travelling partner after all. He had yet to be sure, but the signs were good that she wasn't a complete waste of his time.

When three of four waiters came back with their food, Darren said, "Hey, put everything but…these four things in boxes. Good, airtight ones, if you will."

The waiters scowled and complied as Lia laughed. The food was passed out, and Lia spent most of her time keeping Kou from causing too much trouble. The Combusken had a strange fascination with the salt shaker and kept trying to unscrew the lid and spill it everywhere.

"Kou, put it down!" she shouted.

The pokemon froze, one end of the salt shaker halfway to her mouth. Then, as usual, she continued on her mission.

Lia sighed, aggravated. "Aurora…"

The psychic absentmindedly swept her arm, knocking the shaker away from Kou and sending it to the far side of the table. When the Combusken reached for it, Lia chopped her on the back of the head. The pokemon fell to the table and twitched a couple times but didn't get up. Lia then returned to her meal and took a neat bite.

Darren grinned – yep, she would make a perfect travelling partner.

"Darren? What are you smiling about?" Lia asked, looking up.

"Oh nothing. Nothing really."

--- --- ---

The room they were rented was easily three times that of Lia's room. Both beds had curtains around them, understandably, and there was convenient phone for room service.

Lia dashed in and jumped on the fluffy bed, bouncing up two feet afterwards.

"Uwah! It's fluffy! Pillows and sheets, I've missed you!" she squealed, kicking her feet.

"Oi, the sleeping bags aren't that bad…" Darren muttered. Still, that didn't stop him from sitting down on his bed and flopping back.

After a few minutes of silence, Lia sighed, "What time is it?"

Darren wearily checked his watch. "Eight thirty. I can't believe it took us two hours to get away from that guy. I mean, seriously, it was only a small burn. It's not like Kou meant to – well, not entirely. He probably shouldn't have called her a dirty bird."

When Kou growled, still clearly irritated, Lia cut in, "Let's not talk about it anymore."

The girl rolled over in bed and sighed into her pillow. Today had been a stressful day. Casinos, winning and losing battles, people dead set on murdering her and her Combusken… She smiled into her pillow – she couldn't say it wasn't fun, though.

"Hey Darren?" she said, propping herself up on her elbows.

"Nn?" he replied. It was clear he was starting to fall asleep.

"Hey, don't sleep without changing, you'll wrinkle your clothes." she chided.

"Who cares? God, you sound like my mother…" he sighed. "What did you want to ask, anyway?"

"Oh, well, I was just wondering if you were nervous for your contest. That's this Saturday, right? It's already late Thursday."

He glanced over at her, red hair falling in his eyes. "What's there to be nervous about?"

Lia tilted her head to the side. "Well, for one thing, you could be booed off the stage. Or Mint could forget her routine. Or we could be ambushed by roving thieves and held captive for days for money –"

"Okay, now you're just being stupid." he chuckled. "But I'm not worried about anything. If I win, I win, if I lose, I lose. That's just the way it is."

Lia frowned at his indifference. She certainly would be nervous. Her heart pounded like crazy every time she even saw a Gym, let alone go inside, yet here he was with the passion of a brick wall.

The girl sighed, wondering why she even bothered to worry about him. She returned Kou, who had taken to glaring out the window at a Pidgey in the tree, and picked Aurora up off the floor. Closing the curtain around her bed, she changed into her pajamas and took off her bandana.

"Darren?" she called as she brushed her hair. "You awake?"

"I would have been if you hadn't called." he muttered from behind the curtain.

"Geez, I just wanted to say good night."

"Ugh, you're really caught up in routine, aren't you? Good night already! Don't bother me 'til morning." She heard his bed creak as he flipped over on his other side and settled in.

Lia smiled – at least he had said good night back. She crawled under the covers and held Aurora to her like a doll before drifting off to sleep.

--- --- ---

_Lia opened her eyes suddenly._

_Or, at least, she thought she did, until she realized she was floating motionless in a dark void again. __She let out an aggravated sigh and clenched her hair in her fists – not again. She was really tired of dreams._

_Then suddenly, in the distance, a little sky blue dot appeared. Ah, this was familiar. Lia approached it and touch it, not surprised when it expanded into a wide, cloudless sky the color of her eyes._

_She was surprised, however, to suddenly hit the ground with a thump, tangling in long, soft grass._

_Moaning in pain, she sat up and looked around. This place felt…familiar. Long grass, clear lakes, cloudless skies…_

_A blast of wind washed over her__ and knocked her back into the grass. A long, twisting green figure flew over her so closely that she could have touched it without even fully extending her arm. As soon as it passed, she jumped to her feet and ran after it compulsively._

_The color green consumed her mind. She had to find it._

_She didn't have to look very hard. There, hovering over a large lake, was a gigantic __green serpent with shimmering gold hexagons along his sides. All at once, Lia couldn't breathe. The majestic creature was the most amazing thing she had ever seen, inspiring awe._

_The dragon, however, paid her no heed. He swiveled his great head around, surveying the route with beautiful glassy gold eyes. He opened his mouth and hissed in a wonderful yet terrible voice._

_"Latios…Latias…show yourselves…"_

_The air on either side of Lia shimmered, startling the girl. To her left, a gray and blue dragon with red eyes appeared, bearing a red triangle on his chest. To the right, a slightly smaller white and red dragon with yellow eyes hovered. A blue triangle was imprinted on her chest._

_None of the dragons seemed to notice her, focusing on glaring at the other side._

_"Rayquaza." Latios said stiffly. He bowed low, nearly touching his face to the ground. "My liege." he hissed through his teeth._

_"My lord." Latias murmured, bowing like her brother._

_"Rise." the green dragon growled. "You know why you are here."_

_Latios met Rayquaza's gaze and held it coolly. "No, I don't believe we do."_

_The sky dragon hissed furiously__, slamming his thin arms into the ground, causing a small earthquake. Birds all along the route took to the sky in a panic._

_"Where is she?! My Emerald Destined! You've been hiding her for nearly ten years now and I'm sick of it!" he snarled._

_Lia's whole body trembled with his words. Everything he said, everything he did shook her to her core._

_Latias cried, "We're not hiding her! But even if we did know where she was, we wouldn't give her back to you!"_

_"LIAR!" the dragon screamed. "You're lying! You took her from the tower and have kept her away from me! She…she belongs to me! Everything she is, everything she owns is mine!"_

_"__That's__ why, Rayquaza." Latios hissed, drawing himself up. "That's precisely why we would never tell you. She's just a thing to you. That's all she ever was to you. Something not even worth protecting. That's why she nearly died, why she __would__ have died if we didn't save her out of pity –"_

_"ENOUGH!" Rayquaza screeched. _

_This scream was enough to silence the twin dragons and to knock Lia off her feet again. The green dragon's face seemed pained__, filled with grief._

_"That's…enough. You think I haven't regretted that? You think that that hasn't consumed every second of my life for ten years?__ I never…I never should have left them to their deaths… But now I know! I want to start over with the last one left…"_

_Latios and Latias regarded him carefully, hesitance written all over their face. Should they believe that their master was truly sorry? Rayquaza, who had never regretted a single thing in his life?_

_"Even if…" Latias began carefully. "Even if we wanted to bring her to you…we can't. She can't come back to Hoenn, Rayquaza. That man, he…he's still looking for her."_

_The dragon snapped his head up, surprise clear in his wide gold eyes. This settled into a look of absolute fury as every scale on his body rose in anger. He bared his razor sharp fangs in a horrendous snarl…_

_"That man…I'll kill him. If he __dares__to lay so much as a finger on my precious…"_

_He slammed his serpentine tail into the route, creating a huge trench in the ground. The vibration seemed to break apart Lia's field of vision__. She was plunged back into darkness, leaving her in the nothingness…_

--- --- ---

Lia startled awake, gripping her pillow in terror. She slowly relaxed, covered in a cold sweat. Then, without warning, she slammed her fist against the headboard, bruising her knuckles against the solid wood.

"Damn it…" she hissed. "Not again."

More dreams she couldn't remember. More vague feelings of apprehension, the sense of an unknown danger.

Her whole body shook. She glanced at the back of her hand, where the blood vessels had raised themselves in a hexagon pattern. Then, with each heartbeat, the veins disappeared underneath her skin.

_'Lia?'_ came Aurora's hesitant voice.

The psychic was a bit scared. Her trainer still had her splintered knuckles against the headboard, sweating and breathing heavily. When she turned her head sharply, she could have sworn that gold hexagons swam across her irises.

"What's wrong with me, Aurora?" Lia whimpered, relaxing her arm.

Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes as she brought her hands to her eyes. Her body shook with every shuddering gasp as she cried.

"I'm…I'm scared. Something bad is going to happen…" she sniffled.

Aurora weakly patted the girl's knee in what she hoped was a comforting gesture. Lia slowly lowered her hands and grabbed the edge of her blanket.

"I'm…going back to sleep. Sorry to wake you, Aurora." she smiled weakly.

However, it seemed that night wasn't destined for sleep.

She was woken up by the sound of her curtains being pulled back violently. She looked up to see Darren standing there in his T-shirt and sweatpants – his pajamas. Suddenly, the sound of sirens filled her ears.

"God, Lia, are you deaf?" he said.

He helped her up and threw a robe around her thin shoulders. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and handed her bag to her before tugging on his shoes.

"Wait, Darren – what's going on?" she said blearily, rubbing her eyes. She couldn't have been sleeping for more than an hour, and it was four in the morning.

"Get on your shoes first, I'll tell you on the way." he replied.

Bewildered, Lia tightened the robe to cover her tank top pajamas and pulled sweatpants over her shorts before slipping on her shoes and following Darren. He led her down the five flights of stairs as the cool morning air blasted them from the windows.

"Some arsonist set fire to the Day Care just west of here. The city wants every trainer with a water or ground type to go help out because the blaze is so intense." he explained. "What a pain. Still, we can't have the Day Care burn down, can we? Might need it someday."

Lia, finally understanding the situation, jumped onto the railing and slid down to the next landing and continued, shouting, "Then why are we going so slow! C'mon Darren!"

The red head shook his head in disbelief before following suit.

--- --- ---

The bright orange flames licked at the roof of the small building, a blinding beacon against the night sky.

Lia stared at it in horror, not realizing it was this bad. They were quickly approached by a frazzled Pokemon Ranger with a Masquerain perched on his shoulder.

"Please release your water types right away! We can't afford to wait!" he gasped.

A man behind him yelled, "Toru! We need you over here!" to which he replied, "Coming!" and ran off.

Lia and Darren released Nepti and Leaf, respectively. The Marill and Lotad saw the fire and immediately jumped into action, blasting the flames with water guns. The fire wilted under this newest barrage but still sputtered crazily to get any oxygen it could.

There were at least fifty trainers scattered around, carrying burned pokemon out of the flames and putting out the fire. There were several ambulances around with frantic volunteers holding oxygen masks over wheezing pokemon. The grass and ice pokemon, in particular, were in a bad way, and there were constant shuttles back to the Center.

Lia glanced over to an elderly couple to her right with a worried look. The old woman was holding a handkerchief to her face and trembling in her husband's arms as their home and livelihood was crumbling before their eyes. The trainer felt anger welling up – what kind of person could do this?

"Lia!" Darren suddenly said. "Look up at the roof!"

Lia looked up quickly and saw two figures standing calmly on the roof where the flames wouldn't reach them. Despite the haze and smoke, she could make out their details rather clearly.

The male figure wore dark emerald green pants and a long sleeved shirt with gray aviator goggles over his eyes. The clothes were rumpled and had soot smeared here and there. His hair was jet black, short, and spiky, as if his head had been recently shaved. A Golbat perched on his shoulder.

There was a Swellow on the shoulder of the female. Her goggles were on her forehead, pushing her short blonde hair out of her eyes. Her attire was the same as the male's, except better kept and neat. When the male decided to laugh, she hit him sharply on the back of the head and appeared to be yelling at him.

Lia gasped in surprise – it was Hal and Amy.

------------------------------------------

Ah, a cliffhanger! Didn't think those two would show up, did you? Well, anyway, please review! I love them very much!


	23. Chapter 22: Of Ari

Okay, deep breath... Emerald Destiny has over 10,000 hits and 100 reviews! Thank you so, so much guys! I know it's been a long haul, but thanks for staying with me.

Oh, and the plot really starts to pick up around here.

Disclaimer: Pokemon is awesome. I am not. Therefore, we cannot be associated in any sort of way.

--------------------------------------------------

In almost the same instant that Lia recognized them, Amy made eye contact. Her dark eyes fixated on Lia's light ones through the hazy smoke, distorted by heat.

Slowly, a shadow of a smirk crossed her face. She beckoned to Lia with one hand, then took off towards Verdanturf Town on her Swellow. Hal followed quickly, clinging to his Golbat pathetically.

Lia felt the anger well up in her chest, closing like a fist over her heart. She took off running after them, and she could hear Darren's quick footsteps behind her. Nepti and Leaf would have to stay to quell the flames.

They ran a mile or so before they reached the villains. Lia looked around quickly – she understood now. No trainers, no pokemon, no witnesses. Just long, plush grass and clean air blowing from the large mountain in the distance.

Darren noted dryly, "You've gotten rid of your dreadlocks, Hal."

He buried his face in his hands and sobbed, "Amy shaved my head while I was sleeping!"

"Ah, good call Amy."

"Quit talking to them!" Lia whined.

"Lia Makura." Amy said quietly in her monotone voice.

Lia jumped and stared at Amy. Her clothes seemed a bit newer, as if she had gone up in ranking or something. Hal's were similar.

"Do you know why we're here?" she continued softly, withdrawing a photo from her pocket.

The trainer hesitated searching the Team Sky grunts' faces for clues. Amy was impassive, but Hal seemed to be snickering to himself.

"Just get it out, already." Darren sighed.

Amy flipped the picture to show them. It was Lia holding and umbrella, talking to someone outside of the frame. They appeared to be in Slateport. A shiver ran down the girl's spine – someone had been stalking her?

"Lia Makura, we are here to kidnap you in the name of Team Sky." Amy said.

The drama of the moment was ruined when Hal pumped his fist in the air and screeched their motto, "Reach for the sky!" The blonde promptly hit him over the back of head with her free fist.

Lia's breathing grew shallow as her frame shook. K…k…kidnap…? Her? They set fire to the Day Care to get to her?

Aurora, who she had all but forgotten about, clasped her thin white arms around Lia's neck. She seemed distressed, squeezing her eyes shut.

_'Please __let me __remember Teleport…please…'_ she hissed. The blue glow popped and fizzled, but they didn't move an inch. _'Come on, damn it, MOVE!'_

Darren threw an arm out in front of Lia, hissing, "What are you just standing there for, you idiot? Run!" He withdrew a couple of pokeballs from his wrist band.

The frightened girl spun on her heels and ran for her life.

"Not so fast!" Hal yelled. "Golbat, cut her off!"

The massive bat swooped at her, causing her to shriek and dive to avoid it. She tumbled to the ground, her bag slipping off and scattering all over the place.

"Hikage, take care of the Golbat!" came Darren's harsh voice.

Lia curled her knees underneath her and trembled, listening to the screeches and cries of the pokemon fighting less than two feet away. Aurora tried to help her trainer up but was abruptly knocked back by the Swellow. The girl screamed and curled tighter.

Aurora looked up and wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth. Damn, this did not look good. She couldn't believe that the weaklings that she and Leaf beat up in Granite Cave had grown so strong.

She suddenly lashed out with a psychic wave, catching the bird off guard. She backed up quickly, taking the battle away from her trainer. Her back bumped against another pokemon her size. She glanced over, meeting Hikage's even burgundy eyes.

He abruptly pushed past her and shot out a Shadow Ball at the rapidly approaching Swellow, then turned and launched a Psychic at the Golbat. He quickly met her gaze again.

_'Let's keep moving.'_ he said in a quiet psychic voice.

Aurora nodded as her eyes turned blue, and the two Kirlia began to battle.

Darren, meanwhile, had called on his remaining pokemon. "Mint, Red Tail, let's go."

The Grovyle and Taillow appeared in the familiar flash of white light. Amy, however, pulled out two more pokeballs, as did Hal.

"Sorry." Amy said demurely. "But the boss lent us some pokemon. Twenty, to be exact."

Darren visibly paled, something he wasn't sure he had ever done. He quickly considered his options and easily decided that the best option was to run like hell.

"Mint, Razor Leaf! R.T., Whirlwind!" he called.

The two pokemon acted quickly before the villains could release their pokemon, whipping up leaves and dirt to obscure their vision. The red headed boy dashed off and grabbed Lia's arm. The girl was paler than him, even, and didn't seem to know what's going on. Still, she had enough sense to run with him.

They hadn't gotten two hundred feet when a large Pidgeot swooped in and hit Darren in the head. He hit the ground hard and they both rolled a few feet before coming to a rest. Lia, startled into sense, crawled over to her friend.

"Darren…Darren! Are…are you okay?!" she squeaked, shaking his shoulder.

The boy was clutching his forehead with both hands tightly. When she pulled his hands away, she could see blood running down his face freely from a gash just above his right eyebrow. Before she could start hyperventilating, he snapped his hand back to his face.

"Don't look!" he hissed. "Damn it Lia, focus! Run!"

Before he could say anything else, Lia forced him to the ground, narrowly dodging a second attack by the Pidgeot. Things were quickly spiraling down and down.

Hal and Amy came through the haze of dust and leaves, each holding a length of rope.

"You guys thought you could run? Ha! No one defies Team Sky!" Hal laughed. "We're no jokes like those Aqua and Magma guys."

"But why?" Lia cried. "Why are you guys doing this to us?"

"You, Lia…" Amy began. "…are very important to our boss. He needs you to carry out his master plan."

"What do I have to do with anything? I'm just a normal girl!" she shrieked.

Amy held a finger over her lips. "That's not entirely true."

They took a few more steps forward before they froze in their places. Lia hurriedly looked over her shoulder and saw just what they were staring at.

It was just a woman. She was probably in her late twenties with long, ice blue hair and red eyes. She looked incredibly frail, as if just pushing her over would break some bones. The most curious and haunting thing was that her face looked incredibly like Lia's. Not in a related sort of way, but looking at one girl would remind you of the other.

Lia whispered, "Darren, look. I think…I think this person came to save us."

Darren looked up with his right eye still shut from all the blood. The second Darren and the woman made eye contact he froze, his gold eyes widening considerably. Lia blinked – she had never seen such an expression on Darren's face. It was so full of…emotion.

"…Ari…?" he breathed.

The woman smiled. "Ah, long time no see, Darren-chan."

She then looked up, addressing Hal and Amy. "I order you two to stop."

Hal stuttered, "B-but, boss said…"

"I know what he said." she said firmly. "And I'm telling you to stop."

"Wait…Ari…" Darren said, getting to his knees. "What do you have to do with these people?"

She closed her eyes and smiled again, "Nothing at all."

"But why –"

Amy cut off Darren by saying, "Well, if you say so, but we're telling Boss that you told us to."

"Please do."

With those simple words, the two reluctantly turned around and retreated into the haze.

Ari, meanwhile, kneeled calmly in front of the two. She moved Darren's hands carefully and looked at the cut, shaking her head.

"Ah, that's not good. You'll have to get stitches probably. I should have gotten here earlier, it seems." she said.

She hummed as she pulled out a handkerchief and began dabbing his forehead. Darren was unusually quiet, closing his eyes and slumping his shoulders.

"Um…excuse me…Ari?" Lia inquired timidly. Although she had saved them, the way the two grunts had listened to her made Lia uneasy.

The woman turned, and Lia was struck by their similarity again. "Yes, Lia?"

"Y-you know my name?" the trainer squeaked.

"Ah, yes, of course. We've met before, remember? Ah, actually, you probably don't. You were very small, after all." Ari rambled pleasantly.

Lia was, to put it lightly, confused. She was nearly kidnapped for no real reason, and all of the sudden she was saved by some random woman that Darren seemed to know. Speaking of him…

Darren mumbled, "It's been three years."

"Ah, it has, hasn't it?" Ari replied. Lia noticed the woman's strange speaking pattern.

"You didn't try to find me?"

"Ah, your parents wouldn't have liked that. They wanted you as far away from there as possible. You would have been hurt." she replied sadly.

"Ari, tell me the truth." The red head sat up and looked her straight in the eye, crimson to gold. "Do you have anything to do with those people?"

She smiled and tilted her head. "No."

"Then why did they…?"

"Listen to me? Ah, I'm not sure. Maybe they feel like they have to?"

Before he could ask any more questions, the woman stood and rearranged her shawl. "Ah, I believe I'll be going now. Hmm, I think you'll both get…one more question each."

Lia took hers first. "Do you know why they…why Team Sky is after me?"

Ari tapped a finger to her chin. "Ah, I have a vague idea. The boss thinks you're a very important person who went missing about ten years ago. He could be entirely wrong though. That'd be unfortunate, seeing as he harassed you so much…"

The girl had so much more to ask, but Ari's face showed that the subject was closed. Darren's question came after a long pause, and was uncharacteristically weak and halting.

"Are you…are you getting…better…or worse?" he whispered.

The woman's serious face went serious. "Don't worry about my health, Darren." She smiled and added, "If you're lucky, I'll hurry up and die so you can come back home."

"Don't talk that way!" he yelled, balling his hands into fists. "You won't die!"

"Ah, that's unfortunate Darren…" she said quietly. She placed a thin hand gently on her chest.

"Because, you see, I want to die."

Darren was shocked into complete silence, anger and worry and hurt flitting across his face so fast that Lia could barely keep up.

Ari smiled and bowed, then took her leave. The frail woman walked only a few feet before she disappeared into the mist.

Darren slowly raised his hands to his face and buried it in them. Lia touched his shoulder lightly and he twitched.

"Please…don't ask. Just…don't ask." he mumbled.

The trainer responded by flinging her arms around him and hugging him tightly. He didn't push her off, as he probably normally would have, but remained absolutely still. Really, Lia probably needed the hug more than he did, but she couldn't tell, so they would draw comfort from each other.

Several minutes later, Darren pushed her off gently. His face had returned to its normal impassive mask, but his eyes still flickered with dying emotion. Lia gently took his hand and led him back to the battle site so they could recover their things.

--- --- ---

By the time the two returned to the Day Care, the fire was mostly under control. Aurora had returned to her position on Lia's shoulder, battered but stable now. Often she would tire of floating and allowed Lia to carry her.

They met up with Toru again, whose face was smudged with soot and his hair was totally messed up.

"Guess what guys?" he said with a goofy grin. "No one died! Your pokemon were huge helps, by the way. They do so well without direction!"

Nepti and Leaf were trailing along behind him. Leaf, upon seeing her trainer, leapt at him and latched onto his chest, squeaking happily.

"Lotad!" she squealed, as if that would tell him all he needed to know.

"Uh, yeah. Good job, Leaf." he replied.

Nepti approached Lia slowly as always, so Lia squatted to look her pokemon in the eye.

"I heard that you did amazing, Nepti." She grinned. "That's wonderful. You've gotten so strong! You probably could evolve any day now."

The Marill blushed and stammered out a reply, wringing her tail like usual. Still, she was smiling, which she didn't do often. Lia smiled as well – slowly but surely, Nepti was overcoming her insecurity.

"Yeah, they were great." said Toru. "Oh, and for helping…"

He held out two tickets to the trainers. "Two one day passes to use the Day Care for free. The fire was contained so quickly that we'll be able to get it up and running by Sunday!"

Lia accepted them both and put them away in her bag. Darren stood, supporting Leaf as she squirmed up to his shoulder. Toru waved them goodbye before returning to his work.

"I'm glad everything is okay." Lia said as they made their way towards Verdanturf – no use going back to Mauville since they had all their stuff.

"Nn." was Darren's reply.

Lia sighed – he still wasn't very talkative. Still, he seemed to have recovered a bit from the whole ordeal. Her own face fell into seriousness – there were so many things she wanted to ask. But…he had nearly pleaded with her not to say anything. She would not betray his trust.

They arrived in the small city just as the sun was rising. The city, however, was still in the shadow of a large, familiar mountain. Lia blinked – it was the same mountain that she had braved a long time ago, where Shadow had been blinded. She shook her head. Now wasn't the time to think about it.

Lia and Darren made their way to the Pokemon Center and had a short chat with the nurse.

"My goodness! You said a Pidgeot did this to you? What did you do to it?" the Nurse Joy exclaimed, examining Darren's cut forehead.

"Oi, I'm the victim here…" he mumbled. He winced and cursed under his breath as she dabbed the wound with saline.

"This requires stitches! To the operating room!" she called, pointing to a room behind them.

Several Chansey were summoned out of nowhere and put Darren onto a stretcher. Before he could even react, the chubby pink pokemon were wheeling him away.

"Hey, what're you –" he yelled before disappearing behind the swinging doors.

The nurse laughed creepily before going back there as well. "Ku ku ku…your friend will be fine."

Lia laughed uneasily as the "Surgery in Progress" light came on over the door. It seemed like they had found yet another weird Nurse Joy. She gave her pokemon, including Aurora, to the nurse's assistant. The psychic was sleeping from exhaustion and didn't even notice the movement.

The trainer now flopped onto the plush couch and went limp. It was only six in the morning and she was already exhausted. Not to mention that she hadn't gotten much sleep due to her nightmare and the fire.

Unwillingly, Ari's words came to the front of her mind. She tried to push them away, but they kept floating back…

_'The boss thinks you're a very important person who went missing about ten years ago.__'_

She shook her head, tossing her hair about. Still, the unease remained. Had she met Ari when she was small? And what about ten years ago?

She slowly pulled out her Pokenav and stared at it blankly. Would her mother be awake? How much should she tell her? Wouldn't she find it strange that her daughter was being so inquisitive?

She pressed each number hesitantly, as if wanting to stop with each one. Finally, it began to ring. Just when she was sure the connection would time out…

"Hello?" her mother's sleepy voice floated to her through the receiver.

A small silence, then, "Mom?"

"Oh, Lia? What're you doing up so early?" Maria yawned.

"I just had…a question."

"Really? And it couldn't wait? What is it?" Lia could imagine her mother sitting up, now fully awake.

The girl took a deep breath and asked, "Did I meet a woman named Ari a long time ago? As in, more than ten years ago?"

There was silence.

A long, dead silence where Lia couldn't so much as hear her mother breathe. The girl couldn't recall a time when her mother had been at a loss for words.

"Eh he he, not that I know of! Maybe you met her in daycare, Lia-chan? It's possible." Her mother's voice wavered.

"Are you…sure?" Lia replied. "I met this woman and she said –"

"Ten years ago is a very long time, Lia." Maria said seriously. "No one can really remember that clearly. Besides, you looked a lot different back then. She probably mistook you for someone else. We lived in Johto then."

Lia settled into an uneasy peace. Yes…that made sense. After all, no one could recognize her correctly after ten years. She probably had heard her name from Darren. He was yelling, after all.

"You're right Mom." the girl replied. "I'm sorry to bother you so early!"

"No, it's no trouble at all, sweetie. Are you doing well?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Everything's…fine. …I'll let you get back to sleep."

"Okay, Lia-chan. Call me again soon, okay?"

"Okay. Bye."

--- --- ---

Maria heard the line go dead, but she didn't hang up the phone for several minutes. Her heart was slowly getting back to its normal rate. One image played itself over and over again in her head.

_A young Lia looked up at her parents with a blank face. She acted as if she hadn't been missing for a day, swinging calmly on the swing set.__ Her clothes were dirty and wrinkled, and her face had distinct tear trails on it._

_"Mom…Dad…" She looked up sadly._

_"I…am your daughter…right?"_

Maria paced restlessly – should they have told the truth then? But it had seemed so soon, and she was so upset… Besides, it's not like it was a complete lie. Lia was truly her daughter, even if she didn't give birth to her.

She picked up the phone again and quickly dialed another number. Norman's comforting voice came over the phone.

"Maria? What is it?"

"It's Lia." she blurted out.

She could hear Norman yell something to whoever was at the gym, then turn back to the phone.

"What? What about her? Is she hurt? Where is she?" His voice had a panicked edge.

"She's fine, but…she met someone who said she knew her, Norman. Someone from before ten years ago."

Norman cursed softly and said, "What did you tell her?"

"That the woman must have mistaken her for someone else. She accepted it easily enough."

She could hear her husband pacing back and forth, clearly upset. Maria twisted the phone cord around her finger, contemplating what to tell him.

"Norman…I have the feeling…that Lia was originally from Hoenn." she whispered.

"I was thinking the same thing. Damn it…that means that this won't be the last time. Her…her real parents could be here…" His voice seemed to crack.

Tears ran down the woman's face as she sobbed, "But what will we do then?"

-----------------------------------------------------

What to do indeed...

Anyway, please review! I wrote this chapter because I was reading my reviews and got this goofy grin and I just had to write. So, reviews equals happiness.


	24. Chapter 23: Of Anna

Ah, this chapter is a little short of the usual 3000, sorry. The fact that I'm writing at all during Finals Week is probably a sure sign that I will fail.

Disclaimer: I own the inevitable threat of failing Organic Chemistry, but not Pokemon. Hey Nintendo, can we trade?

--------------------------------------------------------------

_A small girl with coppery hair chases after a tall man with black hair. She reaches him and hugs his leg tightly. He grins and tosses her up in the air, laughing with her…_

_'Daddy…I'm your little princess, right?'_

_The same girl is eating sandwiches with a dark haired woman under a large shade tree. The girl sits sideways in the woman's lap, leaning against her chest…_

_'Mommy…I'm your precious daughter, right?'_

_The three of them are at the beach, the girl chasing the tide as the adults laugh__. They hold her hands as they walk in the sand…_

_'I…__am__ your child, right?'_

_A small boy points accusingly at the little girl._

_'You don't look like them! They're not your parents!'_

_The vague sounds of crying and shattering glass._

_'Mommy…Daddy…'_

_The two adults appear to hold the crying girl. She holds them both tightly but can't help but look beyond them. There are two transparent figures quickly fading in the background._

_A stern looking man with copper hair and cyan eyes. A kind looking woman with golden hair and sky blue eyes. She smiles sadly at the girl._

_'Mommy…Daddy…am I yours?'_

_The dark haired adults hold her tightly and close their eyes._

_'Of course.'_

_And the transparent figures faded into nothingness_

--- --- ---

Lia startled awake. She hadn't been aware that she had been asleep. Blame the strange night, she guessed. After talking to her mother, she had just laid on the couch, staring into space…

This dream hadn't been bad; this much she knew. It was more vague and uneasy, like a lost memory… Well, she wouldn't worry about it. She couldn't afford to.

She stood and stretched. Ah, it was only eight a.m. – still plenty of time left in the day. She glanced quickly at the back room, seeing the "Surgery in Progress" light had been replaced with "The Patient is Recovering". Lia giggled a bit – she hoped that Darren had been able to survive the energetic Nurse Joy.

She suddenly frowned – wait, he'd have a scar for the contest! Did Darren even have clothes for the contest? All he seemed to own was pokemon cosplay. Would he be presentable?

"I worry too much…" she muttered as she pulled her bag onto her shoulder. "Well, I need to go shopping anyway. We never got to in Mauville…"

She retrieved all six of her pokeballs and let out Aurora, as usual. The psychic shuddered and narrowed her eyes at Lia.

_'I hate my pokeball.'_ she mumbled. _'It's so dark and cramped…'_

"You're just too used to the luxury of staying out." Lia chuckled, allowing Aurora to hang onto her shoulder. She was used to the weight now, all forty four pounds of her. She liked her better thirty pounds ago.

--- --- ---

The day way hot, which wasn't that surprising considering that it was May 4th. Lia was already carrying several bags of canned food and other supplies like potions and pokeballs. She even had enough money to get them each a couple of great balls – it would come in handy if they came across something rare.

Lia paused when she came to a clothing shop. Darren would need an outfit. It was probably a bad idea to assume what he'd like, but…

She walked inside, startled at the crowd of people at back. With a little help from Aurora, she managed to get to the front of the crowd and see what's going on.

There was a very strange girl sitting on a crate and playing a flute. Her skin was darkly tanned, which offset her pastel pink, sparkly dress. Her curly black hair was tied up in two ponytails, and her straight cut bangs shaded her eyes.

A man set down his Pidgey and handed the girl a few coins. She smiled, then began to play a new, more upbeat tune. The bird's eyes glazed over as it began to bounce back and forth to the music.

Lia blinked – she could control pokemon with a flute?

The song ended and the crowd clapped again. When it became clear that she was done with her performance, the people dissipated throughout the store. Lia, however, was curious as usual.

"Um, excuse me? Is that a Poke Flute?" she asked, pointing to the object.

The girl's amber eyes widened. "So you know what it is, huh? I had most of this lot thinking I could do magic. Ha ha, people need to get out more."

She stood and placed her hands on her hips. "Not from around here, are ya? Oh, wait, back up, lemme introduce myself. Name's Anna Orimo, age 14, current residence, nowhere, aspiring coordinator. You?"

Lia was taken aback by the girl's eccentricity, but then again, she was wearing a sparkly pink dress with what appeared to be snow boots. In May.

"Um, Lia Makura, age 13, current residence, uh, Littleroot, I guess, and…pokemon trainer?" she replied with a shrug.

Anna nodded, then looked at Lia with a critical eye. "You know, you would look good in green. Maybe with gold accents – no, definitely."

When Lia merely blinked, she laughed and said, "Oh, sorry, sorry, lemme slow down. I'm a coordinator, and fashion's a big part of it. I learned a lot, so now I make all my outfits for the competitions. So, when I see people, I like to give a fashion assessment."

"Oh, that's perfect! I have a friend who wants to be a coordinator and he lacks fashion sense!" Lia exclaimed bluntly. Even though she completely lacked malice, Aurora sniggered.

Anna laughed, "Really, huh? Well, do you have a picture of him? If I've got a picture, I can get a good idea of what's good for him."

Lia nodded and pulled out her Pokenav. Unbeknownst to half her subjects, she used the built in camera to snap candid photos of her little group. There were plenty of photos of Kou looking stupid, which wasn't that hard to capture. Aurora, however, was always looking at the camera.

She finally scrolled to the single photo of Darren. He was only half facing the camera, but he was actually wearing the only pair of normal clothes he owned – a black long sleeved shirt and dark blue jeans. His red hair and gold-brown eyes were a stark contrast.

"This is Darren when he's half way normal, i.e. almost never."

Anna took the Pokenav and stared at it for a moment. "He's cute, isn't he?"

"His personality kind of drains all the appeal." Lia replied dryly.

"Ha, I know what you mean." the older girl laughed. "But anyway, his colors seem to be…dark blues and black, actually. Maybe his sense isn't as bad as you thought."

"This is a good day." Lia emphasized. "One out of nearly a month."

Anna studied the photo a little closer and murmured, "So, the shoulder measurement would be…ah, okay. Come with me, Lia, we need to go to a different store."

Lia followed the strange girl into the bright May sun. "What store are we going to?"

"A tuxedo store, of course. Standard protocol for male coordinators."

Lia and Aurora both burst out laughing. When Anna looked at them curiously, she giggled, "I wonder if Darren is really the contest type. Sure, he's great with routines, but…a tuxedo? God, I can't imagine it."

_'I can.'_ Aurora replied, her lip threatening to give way to giggles. _'And it's hilarious.'_

Anna replied, "I'm gathering a good impression of his personality from your reactions. So, what category is he competing in?"

"Um, Cool, I think. He's using his Grovyle to pull it off."

Anna interrupted by holding a black tuxedo coat against Lia's shoulder, eyeing its length. "This seem about right?"

The girl blinked at just how much longer Darren's arms were than hers. Well, he was a good five inches taller than her. She never seemed to notice that when they were together.

"Lia?"

"Oh, sorry! Yeah, this seems about right…"

"Good, I thought so. Now, bowtie or regular tie?"

'Bowtie' was on the tip of her tongue, but she bit it back and smiled. No, she wouldn't be _that_ cruel.

"Regular." She giggled and added, "He'll look like a government spy."

"That's good for the Cool category. It's not just the pokemon getting judged in there. High tension stuff. That's why I took a break from Cool and decided to try Cute." Anna replied.

When Lia gave her a quizzical look, she continued, "Well, I started out in Cool and won two ribbons – Normal and Super Rank. But it gets so cutthroat in the higher levels that I wanted to take a break." She smiled wanly. "New pokemon, new category. They're nothing alike, so I don't know what to expect. It's like being a newbie all over again."

"Cutthroat, eh?" Lia mused. "Darren will be the one with the knife. Though it'd probably be more of a machete…"

Anna's eyes sparked with interest. "You make him sound so interesting. I really want to meet him now."

"You'll most likely be disappointed." Lia sighed. "Unless you equate interesting with weird. Then you'll be entertained for years."

She checked her Pokenav and noted with a start that it was already two in the afternoon. Darren was probably wondering where she was. Actually, Lia thought with a sigh, he probably didn't care.

Seeing Lia glance at her watch, Anna piped up, "I think we've got everything, actually. Why don't we bring these to him? You guys are staying at the Pokemon Center, right? Let's drop this off there, grab him, and then I can give ya a tour of the Contest Hall."

The trainer nodded mutely, knowing that this was a statement rather than a question. Lia was left with the bill, staring blankly at the figure in the three hundreds. Darren really owed her now. Or, she supposed, this could be her paying him back for taking the hit for her.

--- --- ---

Darren's left eye twitched in mild horror as he stared at the tuxedo draped over the couch in front of him.

He looked up and watched Lia and Aurora hold back giggles as the new girl was smiling with a mask-like serenity.

"Why, again?" he said faintly. As if the anesthesia wasn't making his head foggy enough.

"It's the rule, Darren." Lia said with a teasing edge to her voice. "Anna said so."

"Anna?" he replied. He was far too busy gingerly feeling the twenty or so stitches across his forehead.

"That would be me." Anna said. "I'm a coordinator, like you. I won the Cool contest a couple of years ago, here."

His eyes flickered with dim recognition. "Anna Orimo from Pacifilog?"

"Eh? Darren, you know her?" Lia inquired.

He shrugged. "She was on T.V. once. Zangoose, if I remember correctly."

"That's right. Glad ya remember." she said with a grin.

"Anyway, Darren." Lia interrupted. "Anna was thinking of showing us around, wanna come?"

He seemed indecisive, sighing and looking out the window. Lia could tell that the stitches had put him in a disagreeable mood. However, a voice from around the corner made up his mind quickly.

"Darren-chan! Hey, it's time for your medicine, darling! Come back now, don't be shy!"

The boy paled and stood up abruptly. "Let's go. Now."

"Good!" Anna replied.

She linked arms with both Lia and Darren and whisked them out of the Center, much to the disappointment of Nurse Joy (and much to the relief of Darren).

Anna chattered idly as they went. "So, Lia, I bet Verdanturf is boring for you. Not much for a trainer to do here."

"It's interesting enough." she replied. "There are some stores and the people are entertaining. Not a lot of action, though. Kou and Raku would go crazy."

"Kou doesn't necessarily need a particular reason to go crazy, and Raku only needs her to egg him on." Darren pointed out. "They'd make a fuss anywhere. Need I remind you of the restaurant incident?"

Lia winced, sparking Anna's curiosity again. "What? What happened?"

"Well…" the trainer began cautiously. "Kou – my Combusken – she's really irritable and looks for trouble. Then there was this guy…and this waiter with a shiny watch…and a bowl of clam chowder…" She shuddered. "Let's not talk about it anymore."

"Sounds like you guys have a lot of fun." Anna laughed.

Simultaneously, Lia and Darren murmured, "Fun?" causing Anna to laugh again.

"I need to start travelling again." she sighed when she calmed down. "I nearly forgot how fun it could be. I've been in this boring town for way too long."

She looked up into the sky and sighed to herself, "I need to move on."

--- --- ---

The Contest Hall wasn't nearly as impressive as the one in Slateport. The bright red paint on the outside walls was already peeling to reveal a sickly shade of pink beneath. The inside was small and almost felt cramped with all the picture frames on the wall.

Lia studied the frames while Anna and Darren talked to the receptionist to get him a Contest Pass. The style seemed to vary according to the type of contest – the one in front of her was done in sharp charcoal with a green ribbon tied around the frame. The pokemon kind of looked like a Kirlia, but it was too abstract to tell clearly.

The next frame caught her eye. The red ribbon dangling from it was frayed, and there was the bold outline of a Zangoose against black and white rays. She wondered if this perhaps was Anna's pokemon, but the scrawled handwriting in the corner simply read 'Xana'. A nickname, perhaps?

"Oi, Lia! You gonna stand there all day?" Darren called, peeking his head out from around the corner.

"Coming, coming…" she mumbled, shifting Aurora's weight and running to catch up.

Inside, there was only one stage that was barely thirty by thirty feet. The pale, shiny wood creaked as the three teens stepped onto it, the stage dark without its typical spotlights. The judge's booth was made of thin scrap wood that was thinly painted over, but the paintings of the ribbons on the floor were well done. The seating was a meager three bleacher units – holding maybe four hundred people at most.

"Ah, the memories…" Anna sighed.

She pointed to a small, broken portion on the edge of the stage, just the size of a heel. "One of the guys in my very first contest fell off right there. Hit his head on the floor and needed to be taken out on a stretcher. Yet, somehow, he still got third…oh right, that's 'cause that one guy sucked so much…"

She looked pointedly at Darren and said, "Don't fall off the stage."

He scoffed, "What do you take me for?" One of his dark red eyebrows was arched in skepticism.

"Just thought I'd warn you. Someone might try to trip you." she reasoned.

"I'd break their leg."

"Ah, that'd get you disqualified. Not a bad idea, though. Maybe if you did it when no one was looking, like the change between the phases…"

"No cameras backstage?"

"Not at all! Just get them semi-isolated…"

Lia sighed as the two chatted lightly about the best way to break a competitor's leg. Anna got along with him better than expected. Or maybe she should have expected it, as strange as the two were.

_'Interesting bunch you attract, Lia.'_ Aurora giggled quietly.

"Oi, you're one of them…" she replied as a smile tugged at the edge of her lips.

_'But I'm certainly not on par with Darren, Anna, and Kou.'_ she reasoned.

"You're all your own extremes." Lia noted with a sigh.

She looked up by chance to see Darren standing on the very edge of the stage and surveying the seats.

"It won't be difficult, with this many people." he mused, mostly to himself. "I can deceive them easily enough. That's what contests are, right? Persuasion and deception to fit their tastes."

The edge of his lip quirked up almost imperceptibly. "A perfect occupation for a guy like me."

"Darren…" Lia warned. "…if you're going to go all emo angst on me…"

He let out a short, harsh laugh, sounding as if he had meant to hold it in. Although his face was turned away from her, his fist was to his mouth as he twitched slightly.

"No, I won't start rambling about how the world hates me, if that's what you mean. I'm perfectly capable of internalizing such feelings of absolute angst." he replied, his voice slightly mocking.

"Good, 'cause I wouldn't sit through the whole thing. I'd probably have to break your jaw about halfway through." Lia laughed.

Darren let out a sort of sigh that sounded like a half finished laugh. He pulled absentmindedly at the Growlithe ears perched on his head that matched the colors of his jacket.

"Lying to gain the crowd's favor." he said, in a way repeating himself.

"This could be fun."

---------------------------------------------------------

Now, back to studying. I fear that school has drained all of the humor out of me. As always, please review! Make me smile. :3


	25. Chapter 24: Of the First Contest

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you. Yes, this is a new chapter of Emerald Destiny. Hooray! My excuse? Life. : D

But in all seriousness, my studies writing, unfortunately. So until spring break or something, I won't have much time to write.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, cause college ate it all.

--------------------------------------------------

_"Why is that?" the small girl asked curiously._

_The elder priest stared down at the child with thinly veiled annoyance. She was at the age where she questioned everyone and everything, and it was driving all the temple servants insane. Still, to please Rayquaza, he had to be polite._

_"Why what, Lia-sama?" he replied with a slightly strained smile._

_"Why am I called the Emerald Destined?" she said, holding her fist to her mouth cutely._

_The man sighed – if he hadn't recited the poem once, he had recited it a million times…_

_"The serpent of the sky shall come  
__And bend to touch the earth  
__He shall appear to only those  
__Who truly prove their worth_

_The sea shall part, the ground will rise  
__To try to reach the sky  
__The Sky Pillar shall strike awe  
__In all that pass it by_

_The ruler of the heavens  
__Holds his power in a sphere  
__Entrusted to the holy one  
__That he holds most dear_

_The heavy fate is theirs  
__When the sun battles with the flood  
__That destiny stained emerald  
__Engraved into their blood…"_

"Hey, Lia?"

--- --- ---

"Lia, oi, wake up!"

The girl snapped awake – she hadn't been aware that she dozed off. Anna was staring at her curiously, but when Lia blinked the girl jumped in surprised.

"Whoa! That was so…trippy. Your eyes were _just_ green, but when you blinked they went back to blue!" Anna paused, then laughed, "Ha ha, I must be tired. We really shouldn't have spent all that time helping out in Rusturf Tunnel."

Lia, shaking off the unease that came with Anna's words, replied, "Yeah, but we did get an HM out of it. Strength is sure to be useful, and we can all use it. I've already given it to Faelia."

As Lia talked to Anna, she was able to slowly forget the low, chanting voice in her dreams.But one phrase refused to fade, echoing over and over in a quiet, otherworldly voice.

_That destiny stained emerald, engraved into their blood…_

She tossed her head back and forth again. No, no, pay attention to Anna. Forget it. Forget it. She went back to laughing about the previous day's events.

The three of them had spent all last evening helping to clear out the blockage in Rusturf Tunnel, which may or may not have been due to the stunt Lia pulled with Shadow all that time ago. Several people were highly upset that the shortcut was blocked, so most of the town was helping.

Darren, of course, found it to be a giant pain. However, when the reward of the HM was offered, he quickly and unusually enthusiastically complied. Speaking of him…

"Hey, Darren, are you finished dressing yet? A tux can't take that long to get on." Lia called back to the closet of the room they were in.

"…I'm reconsidering being a coordinator…"

"Aw, just suck it up and come out." Anna called.

The door swung open sharply and Darren stepped out with a scowl. His hair was actually combed, lying relatively flat on his head. Miraculously, the tuxedo was on correctly, save a very pathetic looking tie.

"I can't tie the stupid thing." he droned.

Anna burst out laughing and collapsed onto the couch. "Oh…oh god, my lungs…" she wheezed.

Lia sighed and helped him with it, pulling the ends tightly around his neck.

"It's kind of pathetic that I can do this better than you." she teased.

"Too bad it's the only thing-ack! Damn it, don't choke me!" he hissed, rubbing his neck.

"Then quit complaining to the one that's helping you." she replied with a growl.

Lia sighed and continued to fix the tie, hoping she remembered correctly. All she knew about ties…well, it actually came from Irene. There was a time when her friend decided to be punk and wear ties everywhere.

She barely heard Darren mumble, "…You're short."

"Yeah, well thanks for pointing that out." she replied brusquely. She couldn't help that he was half a foot taller than her.

"I was just saying…never mind." he sighed. It seemed that he still couldn't get across what he was trying to say. He was always bad at that.

"There! It's finished!" Lia proclaimed, stepping back to admire her work. "See? It's hardly crooked at all!"

Darren still had a scowl on his face, but it had softened somewhat. Anna reappeared with her hair in dark ringlets, wearing a rather fancy pink ballroom gown.

"Well, now that everyone's presentable, let's go win a contest!" she said cheerfully.

"Or at least try." Darren sighed.

"Quit being negative!" the girl chorused as they walked into the sun outside.

--- --- ---

"What? Both contests are at the same time?" Lia complained.

"Yeah, that's usually the way it works, Lia." Anna replied.

The girl sighed and crossed her arms. The trainer had been looking forward to watching both their contests, but now that they were at the same time…

Darren noticed her expression and lightly tapped her head with his knuckles. "Oi, it's nothing. You've already seen the appeal I'll do, right? You can watch Anna's appeal and my battle."

Lia blinked, suddenly remembering the routine Darren had been practicing while they were at the hospital. It seemed so far away now, but she remembered it perfectly.

"Yeah, I guess that'll be okay." she replied. "So, the cute contest is in that room to the left, and the cool contest is too the right, right?"

"You're kidding! One of _you three_ is entering the cool contest? What a joke!"

The three turned instantly to the unfamiliar voice to find a tall, blond boy staring at them incredulously. His honey colored bangs were swept carefully over his sharp, light gray eyes. He was wearing a flawless dark grey tuxedo with a dark bow tie, looking very well put together. Next to him stood a shiny Absol with no expression on her burgundy face. Her ice blue eyes looked utterly blank.

"Sorry to interrupt," he sneered, "but I had to see if I had any competition. Apparently, I don't."

"What? You're such a jerk, you…you…!" Lia stuttered, realizing that she didn't know this kid's name.

"Now Lia, don't be upset." Darren replied. "They say that being an asshole is generally a sign of neglect as a child. We should pity him."

He turned to the boy, meeting the now angered gaze evenly. "I'm Darren, your competition. You?"

The boy struggled to match Darren's calmness before replying, "Maximilian Turner. I see that you at least have enough of a brain to talk back. That's good – I prefer that to the typical mindless sheep that I usually face."

Max turned and left gracefully with his Absol at his side. She hadn't looked up once during the entire conversation.

"What was his problem?" Lia huffed, still irritated. "What did we ever do to him?"

"It's fairly common." Anna said soothingly, patting Lia's shoulder. "Sometimes coordinators will harass their competition to try and psych them out. It gets really intense in the higher levels – some people watch tapes of their competitors' previous contests and insult them when the time comes."

Lia sighed, placated a bit. Anna smiled once at Darren and took Lia with her towards the Cute Contest stage. He nodded in return and turned to follow where Max had led.

Anna sat Lia down in the middle of the stands. There were still few audience members because the start time was still half an hour away. The coordinator handed her friend a camcorder.

"Now be careful with this! I want you to film my appeal so I can watch it later. Then, when you go to watch Darren, film him too. I'll give him the DVD as a gift or something." she explained.

"Hmm, alright…" said Lia, pointing the video recorder at Aurora, who made a face.

"I'm going to get ready – don't forget to film my entrance too!" she called back, picking her dress up off the ground and dashing off.

Lia sat there, bored, for quite a while. She finally released Kou just for amusement while she waited.

Kou took one look at her surroundings and complained, "Com bus ken?! Bus ken comb ken!" _'A contest hall?! That is so freaking boring!'_

She suddenly eyed the curtains near the stage with a mischievous glint in her eye. She began to edge towards it in what she thought was a discreet manner, but really, the curtains were directly in Lia's line of sight. Why she thought she wouldn't be seen was beyond Lia and Aurora.

"Kou, I swear, if _one_ ember comes out of your mouth, I won't use you in my rematch versus Wattson." Lia threatened in a low voice.

The pokemon froze, looking utterly shocked. "Com bus ken!" she cried. _'That's not fair!'_

"Since when have I said I was fair? Now get back over here." Lia was merely teasing the pokemon, but, of course, Kou missed it – that's what made it fun.

The Combusken begrudgingly stomped back to her trainer's side and sat with her long arms crossed. Contests were just so…boring. Why was she here again? Why couldn't she be fighting or eating? Or sleeping, sleeping was good too…

While Kou's thoughts continued to deviate, the room darkened – the appeal rounds had begun. Lia looked around quickly to see only fifty or so people. It was clear that these were the lower levels. She flicked on the camcorder and pointed it towards the wooden stage.

Anna entered the stage gracefully, her normally grinning face smoothed into a calm mask of indifference. She almost seemed to float across the stage, her feet hidden beneath the flowing pink gown. A luxury ball was in her palm in half a second, then was tossed lightly to the center of the stage.

Lia wasn't sure if she should have expected this or not.

It was a Jigglypuff, if she remembered correctly. Thin dark red and pink ribbons were wrapped tightly around her ears, ending in little bows at the base. Her green eyes found the crowd as she smiled endearingly.

"Oh!" cried the mc of the event. "So cute! Her Cute Charm ability is at its absolute max!"

Anna, however, didn't even seem to notice the crowd or the judges. For all she cared, the entire audience could have been Darren and Lia. This is what she loved to do.

"Puru, Attract!" she called.

The Jigglypuff leapt in the air, twirling delicately as pink and red hearts exploded out in a whirlwind.

"Ooh!" cried one half of the crowd.

"Aah!" cooed the other.

_'LAME!'_ called Kou in her language, irritably swatting a heart until it burst.

"Now Puru, show them your Charm. For the judge, please." Anna said, flourishing her arm dramatically.

The pink puff ball grabbed a handful of the heart shaped bubbles and proffered them to the judge with feigned shyness. The judge laughed and patted the pokemon on the head.

While Puru distracted the judge, Anna quickly gauged the crowd's reaction. When she saw Kou attempting to gnaw on the heart bubbles and failing miserably, she grinned.

"Now Puru, let's amaze them with our special move – Charge Beam!"

The crowd murmured – Charge Beam? What kind of attack was Charge Beam? Lia heard a woman a few seats away whisper, "Clever, using a Sinnoh TM…" Before Lia could ask anything about this mysterious "Sinnoh", the air around her cracked with electricity. She looked towards the stage, reflexively pointing the camera.

Puru was curled into a ball, her eyes closed in concentration. Electricity was crackling in a sphere about her and it was slowly growing in diameter. The heart bubbles sparkled with static and were slowly being drawn in. Kou protested loudly as the bubble she was mauling suddenly pulled away.

The bubbles accelerated when they were within ten feet of the Jigglypuff, sticking to the electric field. The heart concentration grew thicker, and then –

_Whoosh_

A single beam of electricity shot out from the sphere, scattering and popping the bubbles. The crowd cheered wildly as the mc struggled to be heard above the din.

"How unconventional! A foreign beauty move in a Cute Contest! Because beauty is compatible to cute, no points will be docked."

Lia grinned at Anna, who caught it and smiled back. Puru only had a few moves left, so it had to be spectacular.

Anna flicked her arm, causing her Poke Flute to slide out from her sleeve. She brought it to her lips and tapped out a beat with her foot. Right on cue, Puru began to sing.

At first Lia felt panicked – wouldn't the audience fall asleep? But then she noticed that Puru shifted the octave of her voice every so often, keeping the song fresh. It was calming, but not a lullaby.

The song ended, and both Anna and Puru bowed for their applause. Lia joined in enthusiastically – she could see why Anna had won her previous Cool Contests. The girl oozed confidence.

"Wow! An absolutely stunning display of cuteness! Well, let's go to the judges for their initial reactions. From the main judge…10! From the assistant judge…10! And a 9.5 from the Sinnoh judge!"

"Boo!"

Lia lingered just a little longer after Anna walked off stage, a bit curious, but after a Machoke walked onstage she decided that it wasn't worth being scarred for life. She allowed Aurora to scramble onto her shoulder and dragged Kou by the arm out of the crowd.

She managed to dart past security into the Cool Contest, sitting on a narrow bit of bench behind two hyper-excited teenage girls.

"Like, oh my gawd, Becky, I'm telling you that these guys are hot."

"Like, omg, dish! What do they look like?"

"Well, there's one with red hair and these gorgeous gold eyes. And oh my gawd, Becky, he's tall and _so_ cool. The other one is blond and is, of course, absolutely gorgeous. He has this icy attitude, but I'm willing to be that it's all just a façade…"

Lia suddenly had a very sinking feeling about who was about to face off in the battle round.

The man next to her was speaking rapidly on a cell phone in a harsh sounding language she didn't understand. His eyes searched the stage impatiently, but froze on the entering trainer.

Lia turned to look – it was Max, striding confidently to his side of the stage with his Absol by his side. The man muttered darkly under his breath, "Don't disappoint me, Maximilian."

The trainer frowned at the man's almost threatening tone – maybe Darren had been right. Speaking of him, he entered the stage from his side, his jacket slung carelessly over his shoulder. His red hair was messy once more, but at least his tie was still intact. Mint walked at his side in the same casual manner.

The mc called, "So, battling for the ribbon are Darren Moss and Mint versus Maximilian Turner and Karat! A battle of will versus discipline! Or, maybe they both have a little of each?"

The boys faced each other silently, no expressions on their faces. Karat tensed her muscles in anticipation of her orders…

"Karat, Slash!"

Before she could even carry it out, Darren countered, "Dodge and Bullet Seed!"

Karat lunged at the now ready Mint, who side stepped and shot seeds from her mouth. Little green lights exploded along the Absol's side, forcing her into a roll. Karat was on her feet in an instant, no change on her face.

"Flamethrower-"

"Protect!" Darren countered instantly.

Mint had the shield up when the flame was halfway to her, so the embers scattered uselessly against the glimmering gold wall. The crowd gave a thrilled cry. Lia, however, winced – Flamethrower was a powerful attack, and Protect couldn't hold forever…

"Mint, Leaf Blade." Darren commanded, finally taking the offensive.

"Counter it with your blade!" Max called back, impatient anger leaking into his voice.

The two blades, leaf and bone, met with a harsh, loud clack. The two struggled for a second, then slid apart.

"Ice Beam!" Max yelled suddenly.

Karat reacted to the order without a thought, leaving no room for Darren to give orders. The Ice Beam spiraled through the air and froze Mint's entire left leg to the floor. She hissed as the cold permeated her through her thin skin.

"Mint!" Darren called, sounding concerned. It was only the second time she had heard such voice from him.

The audience cheered overwhelmingly for Max and Karat. The man beside her had settled into a satisfied smirk, nodding approvingly at the situation on stage. Lia felt that Darren could be drowned out by all of this attention on Max.

Feeling impulsive, she cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "C'mon, Darren! If you lose to this loser, then what does that make you?"

Darren instantly pinpointed her in the crowd despite the fact that she could barely hear her own voice. He was giving her an incredulous look, genuinely shocked.

The crowd was a little quieter now, but she still mustered up the courage to yell, "Yeah, you heard me!"

Kou jumped onto the bench beside her trainer and shouted, "COMBUSKEN!"

Aurora choked on the pop she was drinking, coughing terribly and looking at Kou with a bewildered look.

_'Was that really a tasteful thing to say, Kou?'_ the psychic asked once her coughing died down. The pokemon in the audience all chuckled at the exchange.

Lia suddenly noticed that the attention suddenly wasn't on the battle anymore. Suddenly, Darren, Max, the crowd, and even the judges were all watching her as the seconds drained from their battle time.

She fought down a furious blush, determined to get Darren back into the game. "What, can't steal back the spotlight?"

He laughed, covering his mouth with his hand so she wouldn't she how widely he was actually smiling.

"Hardly." he replied. His head snapped up as he suddenly commanded, "Mint, use that ice to your advantage! Ice Kick!"

Mint wrenched her leg free from the floor, the appendage still encased in ice. Then, without warning, she dashed at Karat and slammed her in the side with the ice covered foot. The ice shattered on impact, wafting cold air onto the crowd. Karat was sent sprawling into the judge's podium, shaking it dangerously.

"Wow, how unconventional!" the mc cried as Karat struggled to her feet.

"Night Slash!" Max called in a panic, worried at Darren's newfound determination to win.

The Absol rushed Mint and slashed her across her belly, sending her sprawling back an equal measure. Darren caught the Grovyle's arm and propelled her back into the ring, muttering a quick command as they passed.

Mint nodded and threw herself at Karat blades first, wildly slashing. The attacks seemed to grow in intensity as time went on…

"Damn!" the man next to Lia hissed. "Fury Cutter. A Bug move, of course."

"Flamethrower, Karat!" Max hissed onstage.

"Guard with your blade!" Darren responded, his expression carefully guarded.

"Fool." the man muttered, still looking uneasy.

The flames, of course, instantly set the leaf ablaze. Mint grimaced but bore the pain well, waiting for Darren's command.

And come it did. "Mint, Leaf Blade."

The Grovyle nodded, sharpening what was left of her blade and slamming the burning thing straight onto the top of Karat's head. The Absol staggered back in shock, and then, unexpectedly, dropped to the floor.

The battle was over.

The crowd was silent at first, unbelieving. Then, slowly, the audience broke into uproarious cheering. Lia was among them, attempting and failing miserably to whistle.

The man next to her snapped his cell phone shut. "Utterly disappointing, Maximilian." he murmured as he disappeared into the flow of the crowd.

Through it all, Darren caught Lia's eye and gave a ghost of a smile.

--- --- ---

"Like, you're his friend, right?"

Lia turned to see that the two girls from before had followed her into the lobby. She probably was an impressive sight, with a clingy Kirlia and a struggling Combusken.

"Whose friend, now?" she replied, a bit disoriented.

"That red headed cutie pie Darren. You were cheering for him, weren't you?"

"Er, yes, I suppose that Darren is my friend…"

"…can you give us his Pokenav number?"

"Um…" Lia chuckled. "I think you'll have to ask him about that." _'Although, his response is predictable enough…'_

She edged away from the now bickering friends – "No, you ask him!" – and joined Anna and Darren. They were already out of their contest clothes, Anna now in a powder blue summer dress. Darren, per usual, was cosplaying – Duskull this time. The mask was pushed out of his face so he could see.

"Lia!" called Anna brightly. "You have my video footage?"

"Yeah, all two hours of it." the trainer sighed, handing her the device.

Darren said, "So you know, we should be leaving shortly."

"Eh? Why?"

"Well –" he began, but it was interrupted by a horrendous shriek.

"THERE HE IS!"

Sarah, the poor, poor reporter that Darren had harassed all the back in Slateport, was standing in the doorway to the Cool Contest. Her eyes had a definitive murderous glint in them.

"…oh." was Lia's simple response before bolting in the opposite direction along with her friends.

The three of them were still laughing, Lia and Anna harder than Darren, when they arrived at the Pokemon Center.

"I…propose…a celebration." Anna gasped out.

"For…winning…?" Lia replied.

"…Yeah. At the…Mauville…Casino." Anna added with a grin, straightening herself up.

"Who will watch…the pokemon?" replied Darren, nearly fully in control of his breath now.

"Ah! The Daycare!" Lia exclaimed.

Kou and Aurora shot panicked looks at their trainer. Anna, seeing this, laughed and nudged Lia.

"Actually, that sounds like a _great_ idea. Let's leave all our pokemon to play nice while the humans play the slots!" she grinned, watching the two pokemon's growing horror.

"It's settled then." Lia said, catching on. "The whole lot of them will bond while we get enough money to last us a little while."

"Agreed." Darren added cheekily, sinking the last hopes Kou and Aurora had.

--- --- ---

"Play nice now…" Lia warned, prying Aurora off her shoulder and setting her on the ground. "We'll be back sometime tomorrow."

Before the psychic could protest, the humans were gone.

She sighed and turned back to the group. Kou, Rakurai, Faelia, Nepti, and Shadow were all grouped in one area, while Mint, Hikage, Leaf, and R.T. stood awkwardly nearby. The last two pokemon were Anna's – Puru the Jigglypuff and a silent, brooding Zangoose who stood off to the side.

Aurora sighed heavily – this was going to be a very long 24 hours.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

It ended up being really long, actually. The next chapter will be an interesting excursion into the complex world of the pokemon... As always, please review.


	26. Chapter 25: Of The Past and The Future

Hello everyone! I'm sure that you're surprised that this is up so fast - think of it as an apology for being so late with the last chapter.

Anyway, do you guys like Pokemon RPGs? Cause I know a really good one that I'd like you guys to check out:

http:// z3. invisionfree. com /Ezpero / index.php?

Just remove the spaces. I really encourage you to go there - I think you'll like it! It always inspires me to write.

Disclaimer: I own...a T.V.? Which I use to watch what I don't own.

---------------------------------------------------

_Well…this certainly is awkward._

Aurora stared at the other pokemon around her. Her teammates, of course, were there, but all of Darren's and Anna's pokemon were there as well. Truthfully, she was only familiar with Kou and Raku.

"Alright! Enough silence." said Mint, standing up.

_'Ah, Mint is taking charge? Heh, it's clear that she doesn't take that from Darren.'_

The Grovyle surveyed the crowd, flicking her mint colored head leaf while deep in thought. She finally sighed, "I'll introduce everyone to our new friends." She smiled pleasantly at the Jigglypuff and Zangoose while Hikage rolled his eyes.

"Let's start with Team Darren. I'm the leader, Mint. And, despite popular opinion, my leaves do not taste like mint." she said. "Isn't that right, Kou?" The Combusken snorted.

She gestured towards Hikage vaguely. "The shadow colored Kirlia over there is the second in command, Hikage. He doesn't like to talk much, but believe me, he's quite the intellectual."

"Mint, I'm next!" demanded the Taillow next to her, flickering his red tail.

"Ah, of course, R.T. This is Red Tail, or R.T. as he prefers it. Darren sucks at naming. But anyway, this little guy falls under the annoying kid brother category."

"Hey! Mint, you're so mean…"

The Grovyle waved him off and looked around for the last member of the team. "AH! LEAF! Don't eat the red grass!" she cried, dashing off.

The group sat in awkward silence until Mint returned with a Lotad under her arm. She wrestled her to the ground and held her there while she spoke.

"This little troublemaker is Leaf. She's the youngest one here. Quite a handful." The second she let go of the lily pad, the pokemon scuttled off.

"Alright, onto Team Lia! The leader here is, unfortunately, Kou."

"What the hell do you mean, unfortunately?" she snapped irritably. "I'm a damn good leader."

Mint gave a patronizing smile. "I'm sure you can ascertain her personality yourselves…alright, the second in command is Aurora here."

The psychic inclined her head with a slight smile. She found the introductions amusing, but something was bothering her. There was a nagging pain at the back of her head…

While Mint continued the introductions, Aurora closed her eyes and sought out Lia's mind. In her mind's eye, there were millions of threads that lead to the minds of those she knew well, but only one was Lia's.

An emerald thread.

She followed it, seeing what Lia was seeing. It seemed that the girl was once again at the roulette table, leaning over Darren's shoulder to point out what bets she thought they should take. She could see Anna laughing and Darren chuckling slightly before disregarding her opinion completely.

Everything seemed fine. Then why couldn't she shake that uneasy feeling?

Aurora was jolted back to reality when an unfamiliar voice spoke. Her ruby eyes snapped open and landed on the Jigglypuff, who was introducing herself.

"Well, we're…Team Anna? I suppose that works, even if there are only two of us." She bowed slightly. "I'm Puru. Nice to meet you!"

She then pointed to the angry looking Zangoose leaning against the fence. A thick red scarf was tied around his neck and covered most of his face. "That's Xana." Puru said. "He's not so happy to meet you, but he'll have to deal."

The group of pokemon, feeling more at ease, started to intermingle, talking with whoever seemed to have a common interest. Aurora sighed and stood – as long as she had a headache, she was going to sit somewhere quiet. Just as she was about to leave, an all too familiar voice burst from the low chatter.

"Eh?! You wanna say that to my face, you oversized rat?!"

The psychic sighed, _'Kou…'_ before returning. It seemed that Kou and Rakurai were facing each other, both looking tense and angry.

"What I said…" Raku snapped back, "…is that the Mauville Gym was too hard for us. How the hell did you take that as an insult?"

"The Gym was not too hard for me." Kou snarled. "If that Manectric had faltered even one step, I would have had him!"

"Don't fool yourself. Those pokemon were too strong for you and you know –"

"At least I didn't lose to a wimpy Magneton!" Kou spat, taking the low blow route.

Raku growled – okay, now he was angry. He didn't know what it was, but this female just made him so freaking angry. Probably that condescending, holier-than-thou attitude that she carried herself with. It made him sick.

"I'd like to see you take him on! Besides, you lose to a Manectric – news flash! That's what I'm going to be someday." He smirked at her now furious face. "That means you'll just lose to me, too."

Kou gave a vicious snarl as she leapt forward, claws extended. Raku tensed – damn, this wasn't good. Kou may be dumb, but she was one of the best fighters that he had ever seen. He narrowly sidestepped her attack, but she returned and tackled him to the ground, where they continued to fight.

"Typical." Shadow sighed. Really, between those two, Team Lia had enough fighting spirit for everyone present.

Aurora nodded in agreement, only mildly worried when the attacks started to draw blood. They were seriously going at it, biting and clawing and throwing in elemental attacks…

"Y-you guys! St-stop it!" Nepti cried, wringing her tail in her tiny paws.

Shadow glanced down at her – the poor girl was a mess. Her nervous eyes were always on the battle, wincing with every blow that landed. She looked up at Shadow suddenly with pleading eyes.

The Mightyena sighed – again with the cute, panicked look. He turned back to the fight and barked, "Oi! Kou, stop being stupid. And Raku, stop reacting to her stupidity and looking equally dumb."

"Well put, Shadow." remarked Faelia, a very slight smile on her lips.

The two paused in their fight, finally giving the blood and dirt to run off their faces. It almost looked like they might stop, but –

"STAY OUT OF THIS!" they yelled simultaneously.

Kou spit out an Ember attack towards Shadow, while Raku dealt out a Thundershock. Nepti cringed away, but Shadow quickly shielded her from the attacks, leaving a small burn on his side. Kou and Raku actually stopped now – they never meant for the attacks to get anywhere near Nepti.

"Don't…" Shadow growled.

He suddenly dashed in between the two, skidding to a sudden stop.

"…bring others…"

He head butted Kou harshly in the chest, sending her flying. Then, in the same motion, he kicked Raku hard enough to send him flying in the other direction. The two pokemon skidded in the loose dirt and laid there for a moment in shock.

"…into your stupid fight." the Mightyena finished with a low snarl.

Kou, finally realizing what happened, attempted to get up and start the fight again.

"How dare you –"

Aurora saw her time to cut in and gracefully slammed Kou back to the ground with her familiar blue light. The Combusken struggled wildly but was unable to break the shield.

"LET ME GO!" she raged, consequentially spitting out a string of profanities.

Raku shakily got to his feet – wow. He knew that Shadow got stronger after his evolution, but he never could have imagined that he could floor the two of them with singular attacks. He was a force to be reckoned with. Feeling Shadow's eyes still on him, the Electrike shrugged and limped in the other direction. He was done with this fight – he knew how to let things go.

Even in the absence of Raku, Kou wouldn't let up. Aurora twitched in pain from her headache, letting Kou almost get up, but as soon as she gathered her wits the bird was back on the floor. Mint noticed Aurora beginning to falter and lightly touched her shoulder.

"I'll take it from here." the Grovyle said with a smile.

The psychic relaxed gratefully, allowing Kou to jump to her feet instantly. She looked around wildly for Raku, and upon not finding him, gave a terrible sounding snarl.

"Where the hell is he? This isn't over!"

Mint grabbed Kou's arm and redirected her attention. The bird irritably tried to pull her arm away, but Mint's grip was surprisingly strong.

"Hello there, Kou." she said pleasantly. "Care to have a little chat?"

--- --- ---

Kou turned around and snapped at Mint. "Alright – what the hell did you want to say?"

Mint faced the Combusken calmly. She thought it prudent to take Kou away from other distractions so that she could focus. If there was one thing that the bird lacked, it was focus.

"Oh, nothing in particular. Just curious as to how that Gym battle went. It sounded interesting."

Kou frowned. "Why the hell should I tell you anything?"

"Must you use hell in every sentence?"

"Would you prefer I use f-"

"No, Kou, I would not." Mint replied quickly. "Besides, you know that some of the pokemon around here are quite young. It wouldn't do for them to learn such language."

Kou merely snorted in a way that clearly indicated that she didn't care. The pokemon had her arms crossed – body language for "I'm not listening". Mint sighed and returned to the subject.

"Anyway, I thought that you would talk to another starter pokemon. Somewhat similar experiences, perhaps?"

"I doubt it." Kou said darkly.

Mint smiled, "You're right. We've both experienced things outside the normal realm, haven't we?"

This actually silenced Kou, and she forced her gaze to the ground. She remembered her early experiences quite well.

First there was Joel. Joel was her very first trainer, an energetic kid with tanned skin and wild black hair. She was so young then, terrified of everything. He tried to make her battle, but she froze up, unable to do anything. She could still remember the look of disappointment in his eyes as he handed her back to Birch.

It was a little better with Holly. Holly was weak, pale and quiet. Birch thought that Kou would do better with a more timid trainer. And it seemed to be alright – that is, until Holly tried to feed her. The girl had simply tried to move the bowl that Kou was eating from. Instinctively, the Torchic had lashed out, cutting Holly's hand deeply. Holly had looked terrified when she returned Kou, refusing to even look at the pokemon for long periods of time.

Birch was baffled. He never had had a pokemon be rejected by two trainers in a row. But surely Brett would be a good match. He was tough, like "I-eat-nails-for-breakfast" tough. Kou wasn't good enough for him. Emily ditched her after she deliberately set her bag on fire after she called her a reject. Jennifer didn't really want her – she used her to catch another pokemon and abandoned her at a Center. Rick…well, Rick was cold. He never looked at her more than once or twice a day. He just kind of…ignored her. Birch eventually took her back due to neglect, and the boy didn't put up any sort of fight.

So, by the time Kou encountered Lia, it was no surprise that she was skeptical.

The Combusken shook her head – how did she let her thoughts derail so quickly? Quick, make up a snappy retort to cover up.

"So we've had it rough – so what? That doesn't mean I'm going to trust you." There, that should work.

Mint's smile made Kou uneasy – could she see through her strategy? But the Grovyle simply said, "No, but that hardly makes a difference to you, Kou. I'm sure that you wouldn't name even one being that you trust."

Kou simply snorted again, but uncrossed her arms. She sat on the ground and toyed with a blade of grass.

"What's to say about the battle? We lost." she finally replied, sulkily.

Mint sat down as well, leaning against the fence surrounding the property. "Well, why do you think that is?"

The Combusken looked up sharply – she hadn't been expecting this. "Why? 'Cause Lia battles like crap. She's terrible at it."

Mint, if it were possible, would have raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Blaming Lia for weakness on your part?"

The Grovyle suddenly leapt to her feet, arms raised in a defensive stance. "Then let's fight now, without any of these 'hindrances'."

Kou quickly was on her feet as well and lunged forward with her arm outstretched. Mint saw it a mile away and neatly sidestepped at the last moment, slamming Kou in the gut with a Leaf Blade. The Combusken gagged and fell to her knees for a second before getting up.

She spat blood as she hissed, "Lucky shot."

"Hmm, was it?" Mint taunted lazily, putting up her guard again.

This time Kou went for the lunge but changed her mind at the last second to pull off a Low Kick, knocking Mint off her feet. The lizard rolled backwards once and sprang to her feet in the same motion, guard raised again.

"That was better." Mint complimented, somehow still managing to sound insulting.

The angrier Kou got, the sloppier her fighting style became. When worked up into an absolute rage, her attacks were just strings of punches and kicks. She honestly never thought to use any fire attacks because she rarely relied on them.

Several minutes later, an exhausted Kou landed in the grass once again. She pushed herself into a sitting position and sighed, "Forget it. I'm too damn tired from fighting that rat Raku."

Mint smiled, barely betraying her own exhaustion. "Well Kou, did you learn anything?"

"No."

"Ah, then you missed the point."

"Which was…?"

Mint sat down and began her example. "Well, self taught fighters, like yourself, tend to fight like drunkards at a bar. All offense, no defense. Pokemon who have trained with someone tend to be more like martial artists. So Kou, who would win? The drunkard or the martial artist?"

Kou scowled but said no more. After a short pause, she rose to her feet and positioned her arms in a perfect imitation of Mint's previous stance.

"Maybe…" Kou replied. "I favor the drunk martial artist."

The Grovyle laughed and rose as well. "Very well. Now, when you hold your arms like this…"

--- --- ---

Aurora was, to put it mildly, not feeling very well.

To put it more accurately, she was laying nearly unconscious from pain under a tree far from everyone else.

"I haven't felt this bad…" she muttered. "Since my bout with A.P.S.T…"

Still, this wasn't quite like then. She felt like she had felt this way a long time ago…

_A little Ralts, maybe five or six years old, collapsed to the ground without warning and lay very still. Her mother, a Gardevoir, rushed to her side and shook the child. She was frozen, eyes widen in horror as lucid images flitted before her eyes. She began to scream…_

Aurora's eyes widened. Future Sight.

"No…no! I can't have an attack now!" she yelped, standing up. She immediately stumbled to the side, hitting the tree and sliding to the grass again.

Yet how does one stop what they can't control? Aurora couldn't stop these episodes, these attacks of the future. That's why she never dared to try and bring it up in battle. Not when she ran the risk of falling to the ground, screaming.

The pain in her head intensified, and her sight when dark with the pain. She vaguely remembered hitting the ground and thanked her luck that no one was around her. She didn't need anything that could be reported to Lia.

A deep darkness seeped over her mind.

--- --- ---

_Drip._

_Drip._

_Drip…_

It was raining? Aurora sat up, suddenly fumbling and falling over. Oh, that's why – her arms were longer. And she was taller. Suddenly she realized it – this was a Gardevoir body. Whatever this vision was, it was at least quite a bit in the future – the thought gave her some solace.

The once light rain was now a downpour from a bruise colored sky, drenching the psychic. She was all alone in the streets of an unfamiliar city, barely registering the pool of water that was collecting around her.

"I…I better stand up…" she mumbled, staggering to unfamiliar feet. She felt so far away from the ground now.

The rain intensified even more, and Aurora couldn't see more than three inches from her face. She was ankle deep in water already…

Suddenly, a bright needle of light sliced through the clouds, nearly blinding her with its intensity. More followed, puncturing the clouds until the rain was weak, casting numerous rainbows in all directions. The sky beyond the black clouds was so bright that it was white, and the heat of the sun was beginning to dry her already.

Now the problem was intense sunlight, not rain. The ankle deep water was now a few shallow puddles, and the light was blinding her. There were vague voices in the background, all garbled and frantic as they faded in and out. Dark clouds began to threaten on the horizon…

The world around her changed so abruptly that she fell to the ground, dizzy. By the time her crimson eyes forced themselves open, her check was laying against a warm, uneven brick surface. A slight breeze made the skirt about her hips flutter weakly.

She propped herself up on her elbows, blowing her green hair out of her eyes. Wherever she was, it was under a column of infinitely blue sky, unaffected by the torrential storms and light. There seemed to be a faint green glow, though…

Wait, green?

Her head snapped up and her entire body tensed in horror. Rayquaza was there, coiled yet hovering, filling up nearly her entire line of vision. He wasn't paying attention to her. Instead, his molten gold eyes were turned affectionately to the limp body in his arms. A limp body with familiar copper hair…

_Lia!_ Aurora screamed. Her hands were to her throat in the next instant – she had no voice.

As if in response, Lia's eyes fluttered open – green with gold hexagons. Rayquaza gently sent Lia on her feet as if she were a child learning to walk, holding her wrists until she was steady on her feet.

_"Where is the chaos?"_ Rayquaza whispered in his liquid, metallic voice.

Lia looked up, a faraway look in her eyes. "To the east."

_"Then we shall go."_

In the same instant, the legend snaked into the sky and bolted towards the edge of the tower. Lia followed quickly on foot, her tan robe billowing in the wild. She jumped off the tower, landing perfectly on Rayquaza's head as he speeded towards a chalk white volcano…

Aurora's world shifted again, throwing her to the ground despite her only having just sat up. Now her face was buried in grass, the sounds of a battle crashing against her ears. She almost, just almost, remained lying in the grass and tried to forget. But, as if driven by an irresistible force, she wobbled to her feet and stared out at the lake before her.

She really, really wished she hadn't.

The water was swirling in a violent whirlpool, a geyser suddenly bursting forth from the center. From it rose a dark blue whale like monster, rows of pearl teeth bared in a vicious snarl to which the water churned in response. Blood red markings traced the creature's body, glowing malevolently.

The other side of the lake parted as a sharp knife of a cliff stabbed itself free from the depths. Another sharp cliff grew from this, and another…soon there was a jagged mountain in the midst of the turbulent waters. On the summit was a scarlet land dragon, lined with ink black carvings and bone white spikes. It, too, roared ferociously, brightening the sky intensely.

Groudon and Kyogre stared each other down under the Sootopolis sky.

They looked ready to lunge at each other when a high pitched ring echoed throughout the volcanic crater. Both legends snapped their head up to see Rayquaza descending from a column of clear sky, Lia in tow. The girl was kneeling, holding onto one of the sky legend's horns.

Groudon and Kyogre snarled. The ruby legend charged up a Solarbeam, aiming at the same spot Kyogre was – Rayquaza's head, where Lia watched them with empty eyes. They let the attacks loose, perfect spirals of light and water cutting through the air fast enough to create low peals of thunder.

Aurora blanched – there was no surviving that. But at the last second, Lia slammed her palms onto the dragon's scaly skin, causing all of his gold hexagon markings to glow brightly. A shield of green electricity expanded around them, deflecting the attacks harmlessly into the sky.

All was not well, though. Lia, barely able to stand because she was shaking so badly, suddenly collapsed back to her hands and knees. She coughed and gagged, bright red blood splattering onto Rayquaza and dripping off the sides of his face…

One last image came to Aurora, lasting not even half a second before fading to black. Copper hair…sky blue eyes…a pool of crimson blood…

Now there was nothing, nothing but her screaming into empty space…

"AURORA!"

--- --- ---

Panicked, wild red eyes swept upwards to meet Hikage's astonished face. At first she thought that there was an earthquake of some sort, but she eventually realized that she was shaking enough to blur her vision. His hand on her shoulder was the only thing holding her up.

"I'll get you some water." he said quietly, helping her to the ground before getting up and walking away.

Aurora hardly even noticed his absence. He returned at one point and she drank the water, but for the past hour she had merely laid very still, face down in the grass. Hikage sat patiently the whole while, refilling her water whenever it was getting low.

Soon enough, Aurora sat up and leaned against the tree. Well, at least she wasn't nauseous enough to starve herself anymore.

Hikage, staring pointedly at the sky, said, "You have Future Sight."

"…Yes."

"Does Lia know?" His voice was very quiet, very calming.

"No. Never." Aurora replied in a whisper.

After a little while, she added, "I…I hate it. Ever since I was little. But Mother…Mother was so happy. She was glad that we could have a place to live after Father died. Every time I had a vision, she would make my favorite food…"

She trailed off into her memories, but Hikage waited patiently. Soon enough, she found her voice again.

"I saw her die, you know. In a vision, years before it happened. I saw her attacking the elders of the temple and being killed. I…I…" Her voice cracked. "I did everything I could to prevent it. I only spoke good things about the elders, even though I hated them. I made sure they were getting along. Things were going so well that I thought that I somehow had changed the future."

Her face darkened as she buried it in her knees. "I was such a fool."

After a while, she raised her head and wiped her eyes. "Sorry. I must be boring you."

"No." he replied. "Tragedies are rarely boring." He sighed, "It seems that both of us were isolated for being unique. We failed the test of normalcy."

"Being normal…" Aurora smiled bitterly. "That's what it all comes back to, doesn't it?"

--- --- ---

It was late in the day, nearly sunset, by the time the trainers returned for their pokemon. Lia, of course, instantly ran to Kou and Aurora and scooped them up into a hug. Kou, much to her chagrin, was too tired to resist.

"Ah, I missed you guys! You should have seen it, Darren made a lot of money and punched out the blackjack dealer…"

She paused, staring more closely at her pokemon. Kou wasn't even scowling, looking exhausted with numerous bruises along the backs of her arms. Aurora, though smiling, had dark circles under her eyes.

"Geez, you guys look exhausted! What happened?"

The pokemon looked off in different direction and spoke the same words.

_'Nothing, really.'_

-----------------------------------------------------

Wow, another long chapter - about 4000 words this time. Anyway, please check out that RPG I told you! And as always, please review.


	27. Chapter 26: Of Slightly Obsessed Slugma

So...I don't suppose that any excuse I'll give will excuse my absence. Not even college, although it's the truth. I'll just give you a chapter instead.

Anyway, remember that Pokemon RP that I mentioned a little ways back? I'm advertizing it again - it's called Ezpero, and it's awesome. The link is as follows (just remove the spaces):

z3. invisionfree. com /Ezpero /index.php?actidx

I'll be very happy if you do go and visit. :D

Disclaimer: I want to own that new Pokemon Platinum that's coming out in Japan. But alas, I own neither it nor Pokemon.

--

Lia's blood was pounding in her ears.

She was back in the gym again, after three days of training with Anna and Darren. Well, not quite with them, but against them – they made her suffer through two on one battles, where she trained her pokemon one by one against Mint and Xana, usually.

At first, of course, she lost handily – Anna and Darren were coordinators, after all, and battled really well together. But, slowly, her pokemon were able to hold off the double assault better and better. The trainer had bawled in joy when, yesterday, timid little Nepti had beaten both Mint and Puru in a long, drawn out battle.

She had gotten so used to two on one battles that one on one seemed easy in comparison. It was like her pokemon had twice the focus now, and Wattson's pokemon had fallen accordingly.

The gym leader had not changed his strategy. Voltorb had been sent out first and had faced off against Aurora. She confused it into self-destructing, leaving her mostly unscathed. Faelia fought the Magneton, taking it down in a similar manner as before.

Now, Kou and the Manectric stared each other down. The fire bird had her arms raised in a haphazard fighter's stance, smirking at her opponent.

Lia noted Wattson's frown, straightened up, and took a calming breath. She knew what she needed to say to him.

"I learned what you meant, Wattson. I shouldn't be uptight about losing – heck, I've lost over a hundred battles in the past three days. But I had fun. I really did! I gained experience and learned a lot about my pokemon. So that means I can move forward now."

She opened her eyes and looked at the old man to find him smiling, despite losing two to nothing. He looked genuinely happy for her. She smiled back, then launched her attack.

"Kou, Quick Fury!"

The Combusken rushed forward in a Quick Attack, her claws bared. Manectric, not used to her new speed, only managed to dodge the collision but was slashed twice rapidly by the Fury Attack. He snarled as he fell back, his nose bleeding.

"Manectric, Take Down!" Wattson called in reply.

The electric pokemon dashed in, his head colliding with Kou's guard. She slid back five feet before she spun him off to the side and put up her defense again, the back of her arms bruised again. The Manectric shook his head to dispel the haze that settled over his thoughts when his skull hit her arms.

"Kou, go for it!" Lia called, giving no further explanation.

Wattson and Manectric looked confused as Lia grinned – perfect. Kou jumped into what proved to be a Double Kick attack, sweeping low first, then high. Manectric barely managed to dodge the first by jumping up, dooming him to the second hit. Kou landed neatly on her feet and grinned cockily.

'_What's this? Is it possible that you've gotten this much worse in only a week or so?'_ Kou taunted.

The Manectric snarled and replied with a Thundershock, which Kou only narrowly dodged by throwing herself to the floor.

'_Geez! A little touchy, are you?'_ Kou complained, rubbing her stomach ruefully.

'_You're one to talk…'_ Aurora muttered to herself from her loft on Lia's shoulder.

"Manectric, focus! Another Thundershock, right away!" Wattson called.

The electric pokemon complied, this time striking Kou straight on. The fighter's muscles all seized up at once, leaving her twitching and shuddering.

"Kou! Stop trying to fight it – relax!" Lia called, hoping that the advice would reach the frantically twitching pokemon.

The Manectric took advantage of the situation and rushed in for a Tackle, only to meet an uppercut Slash attack from Kou. The bird then stumbled back, her muscles alternately tensing and relaxing in a painful looking manner. Paralysis certainly wasn't the easiest of status conditions. Both pokemon were looking worse for the wear, breathing hard and glaring at each other.

"Well Lia…" Wattson began, catching the girl's attention. "I must admit, your battling skills have improved phenomenally in just a week. You really must thank your teachers. However…I can't allow you to win. Manectric, Shock Wave!"

Lia froze up, much like Kou. Shock Wave was unavoidable, especially for Kou in her paralyzed state. There would be no going around it…but what to do? Attacking it head on would be dumb – wait! Kou was a fire type, after all. But what kind of fire attacks did she know well? The Combusken wasn't comfortable using her element – she fought best with her hands and feet.

No! Now was _not_ the time to draw a blank.

Not knowing what else to do, Lia yelled, "Kou! Use Flamethrower!"

The Combusken gave her a look that clearly said, "What the hell are you thinking?!" When Lia shrugged helplessly, the fire bird spat, "Com! Ken…" _'Keh! Useless…'_

She faced her rapidly facing opponent, muttered an oath, and inhaled deeply. Air flooded the embers in her belly, giving them life. The flames swirled and crawled their way up her throat in a hot rush, and Kou screamed out a brilliant crimson tongue of flame.

Fire met electricity, spraying embers and sparks everywhere. Kou was visibly straining to keep the flame alive, while the Manectric was digging in his claws to keep pushing forward. Finally, with a tremendous roar, Manectric blasted forward and impacted the bird.

They were both launched back, each hit by the other's attack. The electric pokemon dug his claws into the ground again, breaking them off in his desperate effort to stop sliding. Kou twisted herself in midair so that, instead of slamming into the wall, her feet hit the wall, absorbing the shock and using the wall as a springboard to launch her next attack.

The Combusken screeched and rebounded off the wall, hurtling towards Manectric. She moved so fast that Lia could hardly see the sequence of attacks, but it seemed that Kou had slashed her opponent across the face before slamming into him and driving them both into the opposite wall.

"Kou!" Lia called, slightly panicky. "Kou! Stand up, Kou!"

Kou struggled to her feet, using everything from the Manectric to the wall as a claw hold to pull herself up. Her chest heaving, she finally straightened herself up and stared down at her unmoving opponent.

Kicking him for good measure, she muttered. "Bus ken." _Victory._

Lia could hardly believe it until Watson laughed, "Well! I guess this is my loss. Norman's daughter really battles like him after all."

The trainer suddenly broke into a wide grin and gave a little scream of delight. She rushed to hug Kou, who very much would have like to run but was paralyzed at the moment. Lia, Aurora, and Kou danced a victory dance by running around in the circle, all the while Kou screaming for them to stop it.

"Lia, please…" Darren said, speaking for the first time since they arrived. "Don't do these things in places where I can be associated with you."

"Aw, lighten up, Darren." Anna laughed. "The kid won a badge. It's kind of a big deal to trainers."

"Keh, only because we helped."

Anna merely smiled – even if he didn't admit it, she knew that he was glad that Lia won. He was the one that was up at four this morning to go over some last minute strategy. He was the one that even suggested the training in the first place, tricking her into accepting it. She knew that Darren had his own way of showing that he cared – as nonchalantly as possible.

Lia had already finished her dance and was admiring the badge she had received from Wattson. The tiny piece of metal was buffed to be ridiculously reflective, so she spent a good five minutes taunting Kou with the little ray of light.

Finally putting away the badge next to her other two, Lia managed to get Kou onto her back piggyback style, despite the bird's mortification. It seemed she was suffering quite a few indignities in a short span of time.

"Alright, let's get to a Pokemon Center." The trainer laughed, not seeming to mind the blood, sweat, and filth that her pokemon was covered in.

As they left, Wattson shook his head and muttered, "So that's the kid you raised, eh Norman? No wonder you ended up higher ranked than me."

-- -- --

Once everyone was healed, cleaned, and fed, the three of them found themselves packing up to leave Mauville City. Lia was busy trying to stuff a case of ramen into her bag, along with other, healthier canned foods.

"Hey, Anna? Where are you going to go after this?" she asked as she got Aurora to help her pack.

"Hmm? Oh, well, I was going to stalk you guys for a while, but there's actually something I have to do in Slateport." Anna replied airily.

"Eh? What?"

"Well, that's where the Hyper Rank contests are held. I thought I'd head there, win the Cool category with Xana, and then fly up to Fallarbor to meet up with you guys." Anna reasoned, counting off her activities on her fingers.

Lia was perplexed. "But, if you're going to Slateport, and we're heading straight for Fallarbor, what makes you think we'll still be there?"

Anna laughed and patted the girl on the shoulder. "Silly Lia – never doubt a true traveler on her word! I promise you, I'll be waiting at Fallarbor's gates when you arrive."

Lia quirked an eyebrow, still skeptical, but chose to let it lie. With people like Anna, sometimes you just had to let things go.

They finally said their goodbyes outside the Center around noon so that each would have time to travel.

"Bye Anna." Lia said, giving her friend a hug. "See you soon."

"Likewise." she replied. "Try not to get into too much trouble while we're apart, you hear?"

Lia couldn't even laugh at the remark – the incident at the Daycare was enough to keep her quiet. Anna, however, didn't notice and had moved onto Darren.

"That goes for you too, Red." she quipped, using his recently bestowed nickname. "Don't cause any trouble if you're not within running distance of a safe place to hide."

The edge of his mouth twitched into a smirk. "I'll try to remember." He then turned to Lia and said, "Well then, that's enough. Let's move on, shall we?"

The trainer nodded, waved to Anna, and tagged along behind Darren, Aurora floating behind her. Anna smiled at their retreating backs and, with a twirl of her goldenrod dress, made her way towards Slateport.

-- -- --

"Darren…" Lia asked, checking her Pokenav for the eighth time. "We're…we're not lost, are we?"

"Once again, no." he sighed. "It's supposed to look like this."

'This' was the trail that lead north from Mauville, a rather barren, rocky place with very little vegetation as they moved further on. The air seemed to be getting drier as the ground got sandier, which was increasingly annoying for the sneakers wearing girl.

"But just say…" she persisted.

"Dammit Lia, we're not lost!" he replied, exasperated. "Just keep walking!"

Lia sighed irritably as they lapsed into silence. Darren had been increasingly irritable himself – it was getting unbearably hot, and the trail was becoming rocky and uneven and painful to walk on.

To make matters worse, a couple of news reporters had assaulted them a half mile back for a double battle. Darren clearly wasn't in the mood, but apparently they ignored his glower and pestered them all the more.

When he finally consented to the battle, he had a sort of scary half smirk on his face that clearly said that he aimed to crush them. The resultant battle reminded Lia once more how very glad she was that Darren wasn't her enemy. They had left the interviewers sobbing on the side of the road, with Darren more irritated than when they began.

"Well…" Lia began, glancing at her Pokenav. "We're nearly to the lift – then we'll go up to the summit of Mt. Chimney and climb down the other side to get to Fallarbor. That's a small comfort, right?"

"Hardly." he snapped back.

Lia winced at his tone, remembering that she was supposed to say quiet. Aurora was glowering at Darren, but Lia patted the Kirlia's head to calm her down.

"Don't blame him, Aurora." the girl whispered. "He got up early and hasn't eaten much. It's not his fault that he's in a bad mood."

The psychic gave her a pointed look that clear showed that she thought the opposite, but she stopped glaring and looked away.

However, the day was not meant to be peaceful. At the top of a long set of stairs leading to the lift, there were two men in red uniforms standing in front of the lift station. They looked tired and bored but clearly weren't moving from their spot.

"Um, excuse me?" Lia inquired. "Is the lift…broken?"

"Eh? Oh…yeah, that's it! The lift's broken, you see? So, ah, you two will have to take the long way around. It's through a tunnel underneath the mountain. Sorry 'bout that." the man quipped, not sounding sorry at all.

Lia glanced up at Darren's darkening face, quickly saying, "Well, yes, thanks for the info! Come on Darren, let's go…"

She took hold of his hand and led him away from the two men and back down the stairs to where the said tunnel was. Lia let go of his hand to peer into the humid, hot darkness – she could only see about ten feet before it disappeared into the red haze.

"Isn't this the Fiery Path? I saw it on the Pokenav…somewhere…" she said, wiggling her fingers in the hot air.

"Hn. Looks like it." he replied dryly.

They walked into the cave, instantly being surrounded by heavy, sulfurous air. Lia and Aurora coughed, unaccustomed to the change.

"Ugh…the air is suffocating…" she mumbled.

'_My eyes sting too.'_ Aurora complained, rubbing her eyes as she sat on Lia's shoulder.

Darren merely walked on, forcing them to follow him. They walked along the winding path, the area hot and uncomfortable – Lia felt as if she were inside a volcano. Which, according to her map, wasn't too far from the truth.

She was so distracted by this that she bumped into Darren when he suddenly stopped walking. She began to apologize but trailed off when she saw what he was looking at.

There was a glimmering gold and ruby rock sitting on a pedestal, the light reflecting off of it as if there was a fire inside. Lia reached to touch it, only to withdraw her fingers with a yelp – it was hot.

"A Fire Stone." Darren mused as Lia stuck her burnt fingers in her mouth. "They're pretty rare, but considering where we are, this isn't unusual…"

He took out a worn cloth from his pocket and took the stone off the pedestal that way. The ground shook a little as the stone was removed, but it soon stopped.

"An…an earthquake?" Lia squeaked.

"Probably not." Darren replied, looking thoughtful. "Well, don't mind it. Let's keep moving…"

They walked in silence for half an hour until Lia got the strangest feeling that they were being…followed, somehow. She couldn't hear any footsteps, but it was rather a persistent, quiet slithering sound.

"Darren…do you think that…I don't know…" she began.

"Get to the point."

"Do you think a pokemon's following us?" Lia whispered.

The slithering stopped ominously. Darren seemed to notice this – he glanced around with narrowed eyes. The noise only started again when they kept walking.

"Odd." he muttered under his breath. "Wild pokemon don't usually follow humans around like they're stalking them. Attack them while they're in their territory, sure, but not like this…"

"So…what do we do?" she replied in an equally low tone.

Darren was about to reply, but Lia spotted something hurtling towards them in her peripheral vision…

"Watch out!" she yelped, grabbing Darren's arm and pulling him towards the ground.

Darren was jerked down, a dark, sharp rock sailing through the air where his head just was and making a dent in the wall. The red head looked up sharply and looked around.

"Rock Throw? The only pokemon around here that knows that move is –"

He was forced to duck again as a few more rocks sailed through the air and clanked against the wall. His hand instantly found Lia's arm to make sure she was still there, but he let go just as quickly.

Lia soon discerned a dull red glow making its way towards them very, very slowly. Small, lava-encrusted red slug pokemon slithered towards them, a mean look in their eyes.

"Slugma?" Lia said, shocked. "What the heck? Slugma don't stalk people – they hardly move at all!"

'_So why?'_ Aurora inquired. _'Why would they follow us?'_

Darren appeared to be thinking, finally saying, "The Fire Stone. That's got to be it! Should've guessed, considering it was on a pedestal."

"Should we give it back?"

"Why? We can outrun them easily." He hesitated, as if he was remembering something. "Unless…"

Lia groaned, "Why is there always an 'unless'?"

Suddenly, Aurora dropped off of Lia's shoulder, unceremoniously crumpling to the ground. Lia panicked and rolled her over to find the psychic…fast asleep? She looked up quickly to find the Slugma all yawning widely, the noise faintly carrying through the air.

She tried to remember what the attack 'Yawn' did, but her brain was being unresponsive. Her vision was getting foggy as the ground seemed to sway. Next to her, Darren dropped to the ground, unconscious.

Her last thought was that the ground was warm.

-- -- --

Lia woke up when she was jerked by a force that circled her waist. Looking down through shaky vision, she saw that it was rope. Rope that circled her waist, tying her arms to her sides just above her elbows. This rope, apparently, tied her back to back with someone else.

She jerked again, not moving much. This jarred her to full consciousness, prompting her to panic and look around. Her bag – and all her pokeballs – was at least twenty feet, together with Darren's backpack. She couldn't see Aurora, and, after calling for her frantically in her mind, couldn't hear her either.

It was also considerably hotter than it was before. The rocks around were almost glowing with heat, and a couple of patches in the floor were giving way to lava. They must have been moved deeper into the cave.

She hissed to herself – stupid Fire Stone. Stupid obsessive Slugma.

She suddenly remembered that she was tied to someone and tentatively called, "Darren?"

He twitched in surprise, then relaxed. "You're awake."

"Yeah…what happened?" she inquired, her throat sore from the hot air.

"We fell asleep and were tied together, most likely by Geodude. We were then left on this unstable piece of ground, probably meant to collapse and drop us into the lava."

Lia smiled in spite of herself. "I'm glad you can speak of our fates in such a monotone."

He didn't reply, so they sat silently for a while as lava distantly hissed and bubbled. Lia supposed that she should be discussing how they were going to escape, but seeing as she discovered her ankles tied tightly together, she didn't have any plans.

She had nearly nodded off again when he quietly said, "…I'm sorry."

She jumped a little, startled awake. "Eh? For what? It's not your fault that we're in this mess." Even though she said this, it occurred to her that it might actually be his fault…

"No, not that."

She attempted to twist to see him but found it impossible, so she leaned against him and waited for him to continue.

"I haven't been the most pleasant person today. So for that, I'm sorry."

Lia was surprised. "Geez Darren, what's gotten into you? You're being, dare I say it, nice!"

He continued to be silent, causing Lia to wonder what had made him so contrite. Apologizing was unlike him. Getting visibly angry was unlike him. Darren liked to internalize things, lashing out when you least expect it. Something must have happened for him to be so…different.

"Well, you don't have to apologize. But I forgive you anyway." she replied. "Now, how about a plan?"

"Right." he finally replied. "Your hands are free, right? Try to touch the ropes around your waist."

She did so and found that she could get a good grip on the rope if she twisted a bit. "Yeah, I can."

"Alright, now reach towards me." he instructed.

She leaned all the way forward and reached her hands back until she could touch his hands. He passed her a sharp bit of stone, which proved to be obsidian – there were deposits of the mineral here and there. Understanding immediately, she began to saw at the ropes.

"That rock was what I was reaching for when I woke you up. Since they tied my wrists together, I can't cut myself free." he explained. "I think they forced Aurora back into her pokeball, so that explains where she is…"

It took nearly fifteen minutes, but Lia finally freed herself and Darren. They got up and got to their bags, finding Aurora's pokeball nearby with rope preventing it from opening. The Fire Stone was still in Darren's back, as couldn't open the little zippered compartments deep in his bag.

Lia released Aurora, picking the sleeping psychic off the ground and rummaging for a Full Restore. Darren released Leaf and set the Lotad upon the task of using Water Gun on the ground, solidifying it into more stable ground.

'_Erg…huh? Wha…what happened?'_ mumbled Aurora as she awakened, clumsily climbing back onto Lia's shoulder.

"Less talking. More escaping." Lia said, standing and following the trail that Darren was making.

"Indeed. The Slugma and Geodude can't be too long gone." he said as Leaf happily drenched the ground ahead of them.

They had hardly walked five hundred feet when the familiar, persistent slithering was hear, followed by the clatter of rocks against the nearby walls. These rocks seemed bigger, and these pokemon seemed to be moving faster.

'_Time to run?'_

"Yep." they replied in unison. "Definitely."

Braking into a full out sprint didn't help too much, as Slugma, Geodude, and even Torkoal came at them from both directions, backing them into a wall. It occurred to Lia that they didn't even know how deep in the cave they were, much less how to get out.

"Well, don't we have all the luck." Darren said, his voice surprisingly calm. "Leaf, Rain Dance."

The Lotad squeaked and began to wiggle about, inexplicably creating dark cloud to form in the air above them. Soon heavy rain began to fall, drenching the trainers and the nearby pokemon. The Slugma instantly fled, terrified, but the others held their ground. Several Geodude lunged at Leaf, burying her under their bulk.

Darren leaned forward, slightly concerned. "Leaf, don't give in! Absorb their energy!"

Green bubbles streamed out of the Geodude into the center of the pile, indicating the Absorb attack being used. Then a bright light shone, and the rock pokemon were thrown back.

Where a Lotad once fell, a Lombre now rose. The newly evolved pokemon stretched out her long limbs and cracked her neck, ready to continue.

"Lombre!" she squealed in her usual, high pitched tone.

Lia cheered, "Good work Leaf!" as Aurora nodded in approval.

Darren wasted no time, calling, "Now, use Water Gun on the weakest section of the wall – we need to break out."

The Lombre nodded, blasting a weak looking section of the wall and scattering Torkoal in its wake. The wall melted away in a crumbling, lava filled slush, creating an opening barely large enough for one person. The two scrambled through the hole, Leaf and Aurora trailing behind them. As soon as they were across the threshold, the very walls around them began to shake.

"Of _course_ they know Rock Slide…" Darren muttered to himself, adding a few more curses. He turned to Lia and warned, "Watch out, because rocks will fall from everywhere now."

His prediction came true. Soon rocks were literally pouring from the ceiling, dumping dust and sharp edged rocks on them. Lia winced as once fell too close to her ear and cut it.

Soon dangerous, concussion causing rocks were falling from the ceiling as they approached a dull light in the distance – an exit? They raced towards it –

"Lia!"

She felt Darren's arm grab her elbow – even his grip felt panicked.

Then she felt heat.

Then she felt nothing at all.

--

Not only a long hiatus, but a cliff hanger? I know, but it was the best place to end the chapter.

Well, please review.


	28. Chapter 27: Of Dark Dreams

Hello all. I'm sure some of you are confused - what? A chapter, so soon? - but fear not. It is merely filler. A prophetic, memory ridden filler. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I can has Pokemon? ...no, you may not.

--

From dreams of fires and chaos, Lia awakened.

It took her several minutes of groggy blinking to realize that she could only see out of one eye. After panicking, she found that there was a large amount of gauze and bandages circling her head, keeping her left eye firmly shut.

This led to the question of where exactly she was. She found that she was in a bed and, given that she could smell tea brewing in the next room, she wasn't alone. Lia attempted to get out of bed but quickly re-familiarized herself with the floor.

"Oh dear! Have you woken up, then? Hold on…" came an elderly voice from the room next.

Lia managed to quickly get back in bed before an old woman shuffled into the room, carrying a tray of tea and crackers. The trainer could tell the woman was not fooled – her eyes were fixated on the throbbing bruise that now resided on Lia's forehead.

"You really shouldn't move so quickly while injured, dear." the woman suggested politely.

"Yes ma'am." Lia replied, blushing furiously.

While the old woman busied herself with pouring tea, Lia cast a quick eye about the room. Her bag and pokeballs were all nearby, sitting on an old rocking chair in the corner. Aurora was there too, sleeping peacefully in what appeared to be a crib nearby.

Upon looking out the window, Lia saw the familiar rocks and uneven terrain that they had encountered earlier – they must have still been on Route 112. She opened her mouth to ask questions, but was quickly handed a hot cup of tea.

"Drink this dear, it will help with the burns…"

Lia reluctantly sniffed the tea, knowing that she couldn't hope for Burnt Berry Tea from her homeland of Johto. Still, she took a tentative sip…and gagged.

"Gack! This tea…it's bitter!" she yelped, still gagging at the taste.

"Best Rawst berry infusion you'll find this side of Mt. Chimney. Now drink up."

Lia grimaced and steeled herself for another sip. The old woman observed her with a faint look of nostalgia, but then shook her head and set about answering unsaid questions.

"Now then, let me give you a brief summary of my day yesterday. I take a walk, hoping to find some more berries for tea, when I come across two teenagers lying underneath the shade of a big maple tree. Wouldn't have paid them any heed if I hadn't noticed that the girl was completely unconscious and the boy was slumped again the tree, staring straight at me."

Lia looked up from her tea, keeping herself from retching so as to not distract the woman.

"The boy's barely conscious when I get to him. He keeps mumbling something incoherent – help _her_, he says. _She's_ the one with the bloody eye. Didn't want me to touch him, that's for sure. So I turn around and sure enough, the girl's got a bloodied bit of cloth over her eye, and then I notice that both of them are burnt and beat up. The boy slides out of consciousness, so I have to get a couple of rangers to help me get them to my house – just a little rest stop at the junction of 112 and 113…"

The woman suddenly turned and said, "Well, understandably, I didn't catch your names. I'm Marie, by the way."

Lia merely inclined her head a little and said, "Lia. Um…so what does that make today?"

"Friday, dear. You were brought in around sunset last night, and you've both been out since –"

"Out?! You mean Darren's still unconscious?" she shouted, throwing off the blankets at once and stumbling into the next room.

Marie sighed and tidied up the tea, not surprised in the least when Lia made a noise akin to running into a doorframe – having only one eye was clearly a problem for her. The old woman calmly put away the dishes and made her way to the other guest room where Darren was staying.

She found Lia kneeling at his bedside, holding his hand and looking worried sick. Darren, for his part, laid still and quiet in his bed, a couple of bandages here and there. His worst injury appeared to be a dark bruise across his temple.

"I think he must have hit his head somewhere." Marie explained. "So it's not unusual that he'd still be asleep."

Lia gingerly touched the bruise, knowing that he'd gotten an injury to the head before, with Kite. It worried her to see his face so blank, devoid of its usual, slightly amused expression.

"Is there anything I can do to help him?" she whispered.

Marie looked thoughtful. "Well, it would do him good to have some Rawst berry tea, but I'm all out, and the nearest berries are a little ways away…"

"Consider it done." She carefully got to her feet, and Aurora was there as soon as she thought it.

'_Here, at your service.'_ the psychic mumbled sleepily. _'Let's go find those berries.'_

Lia nodded and slowly walked out of the room, carefully contemplating each step so as not to fall. She seemed almost steady when she rounded the bend and was out of sight.

The old woman rose, straightening the blankets on the bed a little. She quietly whispered, "That's quite a friend you have there, Darren."

-- -- --

The darkness wasn't as nearly as comforting as he hoped it would have been.

But no, Darren was stuck within his mind, having old, unwanted memories forced down his throat every two minutes. So much for a peaceful sleep.

He was still trying to figure out why in the hell he had risked his neck to save Lia. Sure, if he hadn't pulled her back, it would have been a lot worse than a bloody eye, but did he _have_ to get a concussion? Why did he even bother?

"_Hey…hey, don't be like that! I'm your friend, Darren!"_

He shook his head to try and shake off the memory, but it remained resolutely there – that image of Lia, looking concerned at the mere thought of him not having friends…

He knew why he couldn't ignore her like he did every other person he met.

Because Lia acted just like _her_.

Ari.

They even looked alike – Ari, before her accident, even had precisely the same shade of blue in her eyes. Their mannerisms were alike, although Ari was always more polite and a little distant, whereas Lia was constantly trying to draw him in, effortlessly and unconsciously.

If only Ari hadn't shown up then. Imagine – he had been trying to find her and his parents for years, but as soon as he met up with Lia, there she was, within the month. And then Ari begins chatting about how she knows Lia, and that they've met before, and ignoring his questions about Team Sky…

And there it was again – a memory, trying to smother him. He struggled for a while, but then it took over…

_The room was very small and dark, but that was the way he liked it._

_A five year old Darren sat by himself in his room, reading a book with his head down. He heard the door open but didn't acknowledge the intruder. Mint, the sleepy Treecko beside him, lifted her head to look at the person, but deemed it safe to doze off again._

"_Darren-chan?"_

_He glanced up, his golden eyes almost glowing in the darkness. A young woman, maybe in her late teens was kneeling by him, staring at him kindly. Her ice blue hair was short, as if it was growing back from a drastic cut._

"_Darren-chan, I've come to play with you, today!" she said cheerfully._

_Darren said nothing, but instead went back to his book. The girl looked over his shoulder at the book, impressed at how advanced it looked – nothing less from the son of scientists, she supposed._

"_Do you like the book?" she inquired, attempting to coax words out of the young boy's mouth._

_After a long while, he replied, "My mother said not to talk to strangers."_

_She giggled, amused at the matter-of-fact way the boy spoke. "It's a good thing I'm not a stranger, then. I'm one of your parents' best friends."_

_He looked up at her, now interested. "Then you're…Ari?"_

_She smiled. "Yep. And from now on, I'll be your friend…"_

Darren shook his head harder, finally dispelling the memory. As if he needed to remember the way it used to be. The girl that became both his mother and his sister, always around to support him…

Ari got sick soon after that. She had always been a bit frail, but something changed. Sometimes she would seize up in coughing fits for fifteen minutes at a time, trying very hard not to let him see the blood that was coming up. As young as he was, Darren wasn't stupid – he knew something was terribly wrong with her.

But as sick as she was, Ari never lost her composure. She was always smiling, always patient, never denying him a single request. The only time he had seen her angry was –

"_AAAAAAAAAAAA!!"_

_The six year old Darren dropped the toy pokeball he was holding, startled by the unfamiliar scream from a familiar voice. Mint and Hikage, who were in the room with him, startled awake as well._

_He looked nervously towards the door. Ari had been playing with him when Ari's dark haired boyfriend burst into the room, looking tense and worried and faintly frustrated. He told her that they needed to talk – now. Ari had taken Darren's shoulder and told him very sternly not to leave the room, and that she would be back soon._

"_HOW COULD YOU?! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?!"_

_Darren now stood and peeked outside of his room. Ari was crying, her hands over her face as her shoulder-length hair fell forward. Her boyfriend, wearing dark clothing as usual, seemed to have a new pendant that glinted green when he moved…_

_The man made a move to comfort her, but she swatted his hand away and screamed at him with more venom than Darren thought possible._

"_WHY? Why would you do such a horrible thing?! I thought you loved me more than that!"_

"_I did it __because__ I love you! Don't you understand?!" the man replied sharply. When he jerked forward, a glimpse of a bloodstained suit was visible beneath his jacket._

_Darren was frightened. Ari had never fought with her boyfriend before. In fact, the two were so obviously in love that the boy often rolled his eyes and left the room so they could stare endearingly at each other over coffee._

_The man persisted, "Don't you see? If I didn't try, I'll only lose you! I can't possibly live without you, Ari!"_

"_So you go and do this?! She was four years old! Four! Are you trying to tell me that her life was worthless in comparison to mine?!" Ari snarled._

_He had no reply to this, merely staring at her blankly with gray eyes. Ari gave another sob and turned away from him, running back towards Darren's room. The boy had only a few seconds to scramble away from the door and ended up tripping over the dropped pokeball backwards._

_Ari pushed open the door with a slam, staring down at the bewildered and frightened boy. Tears were streaming freely down her pale cheeks, and she trembled in fury and misery._

"_I'm going home now, Darren." she said, struggling to keep her voice even. "I'll see you tomorrow."_

_Her voice broke over the last word, and she spun on the spot and walked off with a sob. Soon the man was in the doorway, his face drawn and conflicted. Still, he walked into the room and set Darren on his feet and patted the boy on the head. The little boy looked like he was trying very hard not to cry._

"_Sorry you had to see that, kiddo." he said with a weak chuckle, trying to keep his voice light. "We didn't mean to scare you."_

"_But why, Nii-san? Why were you fighting?" Darren demanded._

_The man sighed and knelt down to Darren's level, placing both hands on the boy's shoulders._

"_Darren. You know that Ari is very sick, right?" he said seriously._

_A nod. Darren had suspected this a long time ago, but hearing it said out loud made him uneasy. It was as if saying it made it more real._

"_Well, I know the only way to save her. But it means that I have to hurt someone along the way. But it's worth it, right? To save Ari?"_

_He searched for a sort of validation in Darren's eyes. Validation that he wasn't so sure he could give…_

To this day, Darren didn't know what he thought. Was it okay to let a stranger suffer if it would save someone he cared about? A stranger he would never know, while Ari grew frail and weak before his eyes…

The question had been refreshed when Ari appeared before him, three more years of damage inflicted on her by her illness. And then she had said what he feared the most – that she actually _wanted_ to die, so that no innocent stranger should die for her.

He almost wanted to ask Lia what she thought of this ethical dilemma. He wondered if she would be as conflicted as he was. He suspected that her first instinct would be to side with Ari, but then again, she clearly cared a lot about her friends. The way she talked about Irene – and him, sometimes – proved that.

He was tired of thinking. Tired of the darkness. Tired of internal conflict. Darren wanted nothing more than to wake up and force all these thoughts to the back of his mind…

His wish was very soon granted.

-- -- --

Darren was coughing and sputtering – a very bitter and scalding hot liquid had been poured down his throat, awakening him immediately.

"You probably should have waited until he was awake, dear." said Marie, who was patting Darren on the back gingerly.

Lia frowned, put out. After all the trouble she went through to find the berries and brew the tea, the old woman still found ways to scold her. She instead took Darren's hand and shook it, focusing his attention.

"Hey Darren – you alright?"

"I've been better." he coughed, glaring at her.

Despite his sneering tone, Lia was smiling in relief. And, she thought as he snatched his hand away, back to his normal self. None of the odd, quiet pensiveness he had shown while they were near death, and none of the explosive anger he had shown before that.

She quickly explained what had taken place while he slept, to which he merely replied, "Hn." He didn't seem too terribly surprised.

Marie gathered up the tea tray and said, "Well children, I think it's a little late for you to head out, and Darren probably needs another night of sleep to finish recovering. How about you two stay here another night?"

Lia looked to Darren, who shrugged indifferently. The girl replied, "Yeah, that'd be great."

"Good. Then Lia, I'll need you to help me in the kitchen with dinner…"

Darren threw off this covers and said, "I'll help too, I suppose."

"Uh uh, no way!" Lia said, poking him in the chest. "You need to rest. We can handle it."

Darren gave her a pointed stare. "You have one eye. You'll end up chopping off a finger."

Lia had no reply to this and failed to bully him back into the bed, instead following him and shaking his arm as he resolutely walked into the kitchen. Marie smiled at their bickering and followed suit.

Over dinner, Marie brought up an interesting conversation point. "You know, strange things have been happening around here lately."

Darren looked up from his plate of spaghetti and repeated, "Strange?" Lia, who had been wrestling with Kou to keep her from flinging a meatball, looked up as well.

"Yes. All around Mt. Chimney and Meteor Falls, travelers have been reporting strange trainers loitering around, wearing all red. Suspicious bunch, if you ask me. The cable car has never broken before, but their lot shows up and suddenly it's down? Nonsense." Marie huffed.

Lia and Darren exchanged glances – they had seen two men in red by the cable car. Coincidence? Suddenly, Lia was struck by an idea.

"Come to think of it…" she began. "There were people in blue back in Slateport. Called themselves Team Aqua. Think these two are related?"

Darren looked pensive. "It's possible that this is a rival team. Aqua was obsessed with water, right? Perhaps these people are the opposite."

"That would explain their Mt. Chimney hangout," Marie mused. "But it doesn't explain why they're at Meteor Falls, too."

Lia finished chewing her garlic bread and proclaimed, "Then we'll investigate!"

Darren sighed, staring at Lia with a slightly exasperated look. "Must you always make decisions without my input? I do have a contest to attend in Fallarbor, you know. And we have to meet up with Anna, remember?"

Lia pouted, replying, "That doesn't mean we can't check it out afterwards. C'mon – it's Meteor Falls! That place is famous, even in Johto. If we're lucky, we could find a Moon Stone or something."

He glared at her. "No. The next time we see an elemental stone, we are most definitely leaving it alone."

Lia and Aurora laughed, with Kou looking at them like they were crazy. The fire bird, unfortunately, missed quite a lot whilst in her pokeball.

"Com? Com bus comb ken?!" _'What? What so damn funny?!"_

'_Oh, nothing.'_ Aurora replied airily. _'Just something you wouldn't understand, Kou. It's okay, really. Try not to feel too excluded.'_

Kou snarled, flames dancing in her mouth already. Aurora quirked an eyebrow, quite prepared to retaliate.

"Lia." Marie began rather calmly. "My homeowner's insurance, while covering catastrophic meteorological events, does not cover arson by pokemon. Please consider this."

"Right." replied Lia, who withdrew the battered pokeball and flicked it against Kou's head, calling back the pokemon.

-- -- --

The following morning found Darren relatively well healed and Lia back in possession of both eyes. Marie saw them off, listing off advice more reminiscent of a grandmother.

"And try not to end up burnt and unconscious in the middle of nowhere. It usually doesn't turn out as well as it did." she finished.

"Er, we'll remember that, Marie." Lia replied, not sure whether she should laugh.

Darren checked his watch and nudged Lia slightly, indicating that they should be leaving soon. Lia batted his arm away, bowed in thanks to the old woman, and they were on their way.

"And remember to look out for strangers in red and blue!" Marie yelled after them.

"Red and blue. Right." Darren repeated in a sarcastic drawl.

Then, finally, they walked into the ash laded valley and were gone. Marie smiled after them and returned to her house, ready to clean the guest room for the next travelers. Everything was quiet again.

A figure in the shadows moved.

It was a small movement, that of a black gloved hand to contain an amused smile.

"Strangers in red and blue, huh?" the figure whispered, a smile still in the voice.

Suddenly it was standing and sprinting towards the ash, ever concealed in the shadow. A pokemon moved as well, lopping gracefully beside its trainer.

"Too bad they forgot green."

--

Ah, how cruel! Two cliffhangers in a row! Yes, but necessary.

Hmm. I think I had too much fun diving into Darren's mind. Anyways, please review.


	29. Chapter 28: Of Insanity

Well. Hello again. It's been about two years, huh?

I'm sure you've wondered where I've been - well, maybe you don't care. I was off getting a pharmacy degree. Still working on that, btw. I thought, "Hey, doctoral student don't write pokemon fanfiction! Go study!"

But Lia wasn't done. And hopefully, you aren't done with Lia. I can only try to bring this story to its end.

--- --- --- --- --- --- ---  
--- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Lung cancer. Of all the things to die from, it's going to be lung cancer."

Lia listened to Darren's lament, smiling behind the thin paper mask that she used to filter the ash filled air. Although he had a mask too, the air was still thick with sulfur and fine powder.

The young trainer looked up, marveling at Route 113. Ash fell like grayish snowflakes through the sky, obscuring anything more than twenty feet ahead of them. The plants of the area were gray themselves, thin and scraggly from suffocation.

Aurora, for her part, had her eyes tightly shut and was acting as a navigator. _'There are a few trees a hundred feet ahead – move eight steps to the right. Ah, watch your feet – there are a lot of big rocks. We may be a little off the path…'_

"God, this is annoying. I told myself last time that I'd never come back to this place…" Darren muttered, his voice muffled by the mask.

"You were here before?" replied Lia instantly, picking up any chance at conversation.

"Yeah, about a year and a half ago. Met this crazy guy who was obsessed with fossils. Seemed to think that there were hundreds of them, just below the surface." He sighed, making a face at the memory. "He wanted me to help him with some explorer's kit that would let people travel underground. Seemed mildly interesting, but he was too weird, and I had better things to do."

"I…I see…" Lia stuttered, not really understanding what he was talking about.

He shot her a bemused look. "Do you?"

"No…" she admitted sheepishly.

He rolled his eyes and looked away, leaving them in silence once more. Lia sighed – it seemed that between dangerous episodes, there were dull stretches of just _walking_. It almost made her wish that something would happen, just to give her something to do.

Aurora started. _'Oh, hey! There's a person up ahead, right in the middle of the path.'_ She opened her scarlet eyes to check her psychic sight. _'Yep.'_

The Kirlia was right – walking slowly along the path was a boy under a parasol, wearing mostly black and green. He heard their footsteps and turned around, a confused look in his green eyes.

"Oh! Hey there." He grinned widely now. "I almost never run into people out here. You guys must be on your way to Fallarbor."

"Yeah, that's right – do you know how much further it is?" Lia inquired, unable to keep the anxiety out of her voice.

The boy – probably only a little older than Darren – grinned wider. "It's gonna feel like a lot longer if you keep on going without an ash parasol." He twirled the said object in his hand, spraying them with a new layer of ash.

Darren, coughing despite the mask, asked, "Well then, have any ideas on how we're to obtain such a thing?" He sounded rather annoyed.

Lia sighed, "Er, sorry about Darren. Lung cancer worries him. The name's Lia, by the way."

The boy shook her outstretched hand. "I'm Haku, and I just happen to sell these things. Follow me."

Haku led the two travelers off the path to a small wooden stand sheltered by the trees. An Umbreon was guarding the store, raising his head when they came by. The boy patted the dark pokemon, causing it to relax again. He then dusted off a few paper parasols in vain before circling around to stand behind the counter.

"Welcome to the only place in Hoenn that sell ash parasols, conveniently located in the only place that'll ever need them." he chuckled. "A pair of parasols will be 300 P."

"Tch! Expensive…" Darren muttered.

"Gotta make a living somehow." Haku chuckled.

"You've gotta pay for mine, Darren." Lia said, playfully shoving his shoulder. "Remember? I paid for your contest suit."

"That ugly thing? You should've paid _me_ to wear it." he replied, rolling his eyes.

Still, he begrudgingly withdrew his wallet, flipping through the bills with a frown. They were pretty much all singles, considering that he and Lia ate a lot of food out of vending machines…

Darren had just withdrawn the correct amount when all of the sudden the Umbreon lunged over the counter, grabbed the whole wallet with his teeth, and bounded off into the forest. The three of them stared in disbelief.

"What the _hell_?! Goddamn Umbreon…" Darren hissed, chasing after the fleeing pokemon.

"Darren? Wait! Geez, Aurora, go after him, he won't be able to see through all that ash…" Lia sighed.

The psychic nodded and took off as well, soon disappearing into the ash-laded air. Lia shook her head at their antics – things were always crazy, huh?

"Sorry about that Haku. Sometimes –"

Lia suddenly froze, feeling something warm and furry brush past her leg. She looked down in shock to see Umbreon staring up at her, mewing curiously. When she jumped away from it, he made his way slowly back to Haku.

The boy smiled and petted the pokemon. "Isn't Double Team such a strange attack? Some pokemon can even make substantial clones for a short while."

Lia took a few shaky steps back, staring at them with wide eyes. "I…I think I'll go find my friends. We don't really need a parasol, not really."

"I'm afraid it's a bit late for that, Lia Makura. You see, I really can't fail my mission." Haku said with a pleasant smile, standing up.

Lia took a step back as he took a step forward.

No.

No, no, no, not again.

She turned to run, but she quickly realized that there was a purple barrier enclosing her in a circle. When she whirled around, she could see Umbreon sitting perfectly still, his eyes glowing that same violet color.

"What do you want with me?" Lia whispered, her voice breaking. "Are you from Team Sky?"

Haku laughed. "Why are you so nervous? I just want to talk to you – or rather, my superior does. After that you're quite free to go."

Lia nervously paced along the edge of the ring, never turning her back to him. It was suspicious. Why exclude Darren and Aurora and trap her here if he just wanted to talk? Why _would_ Team Sky want to talk after trying to kidnap her?

She suddenly put her hands to her belt – the rest of her pokemon were still there. Her pounding heart calmed a little, and her stance relaxed. If they really were going to take her, they would have taken her pokemon. Plus, Haku was just standing there, and his only pokemon was weak to Kou…

"F-fine. I'll talk to this 'superior' guy and ask him what the heck his deal is with me." Lia said, trying to steady her voice.

The boy smiled. "That's the spirit! Now, if you'd come over here…oh, don't give me that look! It's a mini video phone, see? You're not going to be able to hear it all the way over there."

Haku sighed when Lia refused to come any closer than four feet. "So stubborn. Guess I'll turn up the volume…c'mon, sit down."

Lia watched the small screen flicker to life, hearing a faint dial tone in the background. Finally a man walked into the picture, pressing a button to stop the ringing. He faced the screen and smiled.

The man had a handsome face, probably no older than thirty. His dark black hair was carefully styled, looking as sharp as his emerald green suit. His silver eyes seemed to fix directly onto Lia's face.

"So." he said with an almost exasperated laugh. "You are Lia. I've waited a very long time to talk to you."

"Well it might have been easier if you would've skipped the kidnapping thing." she snapped back.

The man merely chuckled, "Goodness, you certainly _are_ different from Ari. Hal and Amy were right. And she thought you two would have so much in common…"

He seemed to wave off the thought and turned to Haku. "You have the scale, I trust?"

"Of course, Relem." Haku replied, pulling a necklace from under his shirt. The glittering green looked familiar to Lia, but the man on the screen spoke again, recapturing her attention.

"Now Lia, we are going to conduct a very simple test. You will touch the pendant there – one finger will suffice. If nothing happens, then we will leave you alone with our sincerest apologies."

Lia's eyes narrowed. "And if something _does_ happen?"

Relem smiled.

"Haku."

The man tossed the pendant so suddenly at Lia that her only instinct was to catch it. It landed neatly in her gloves, no harm done. That is, until she impulsively clenched her hands, touching it with her skin.

There was a crackle of green electricity, and the world froze.

The color leeched out of her vision, as well as sound. It hurt. Something…hurt.

Looking down, Lia found that there _was_ color. It was red. And it was all over her. And it was blood.

And then suddenly she wasn't so deaf – suddenly there was screaming and smoke and angry hands grabbing her from all sides and-!

Hands grabbed her from behind, covering her eyes and snapping her head back. The action felt familiar, but the hands were somehow too small.

"Calm down Lia. No more screaming."

Lia hadn't been aware that she had been screaming until the voice spoke. Her screams calmed to helpless, broken sobs and hiccups.

"Make…it…s-stop…no…more…" she pleaded.

"I know, I know. Shh."

The blood and the screams were washed away clean, and Lia slumped down in relief. She was vaguely aware that she had been upset, but hadn't the faintest idea why.

The small hands released her and Lia found herself in a world of black. When the trainer whirled around to see her savior, she was met with herself.

Except she four years old, and wearing the strangest set of robes.

The child Lia smiled. "Hello there."

Lia stared openly at the girl, who merely continued to smile. "Who…?"

"Call me Emerald. That would be easiest." the girl replied.

She childishly twirled around and walked as if on some narrow beam. "But ah, that was a close one! A minute more and you would have lost your mind. More than you already have, that is – honestly, your psyche is looking like shattered glass here…"

"Where are we?" Lia asked firmly, interrupting. She seemed much more lucid now and wondered where Haku, Darren, and her pokemon were. Her belt was empty.

Emerald paused and turned around, an amused look on her young face. "Don't you know what the inside of your own mind looks like? It's a rather dark place, isn't it? Perhaps you should invest in some therapy…"

Her expression turned cruel. "But you did, didn't you? Five years ago, that Drowzee…poor thing."

Lia's eyes grew wide. "H-how did you know about that? No one…" Her expression hardened. "Who are you?"

"I'm you."

"No. You definitely are not."

Emerald laughed, reaching up to grab Lia by the shoulders. Her grip was painful, too strong for a child as she forced their foreheads together.

"Let me refine that – I'm the you that you left behind ten years ago. It had to go somewhere Lia – do you really think you could just discard me like that? That a silly _Dream Eater_ would get rid of me?!"

The child's eyes had gone a deep, rich green. "You didn't want me. That's why I still look like this, the last time we were in sync…but no worries! I found something that will keep me with you for a long time."

Emerald released her and glided back. With a flick she stretched her arm out, holding a small green orb in her hands. It was absolutely beautiful, like a sphere of glittering emeralds.

"That's mine." Lia said. She didn't know why she thought that, she just…knew.

Emerald frowned. "No, this is definitely mine. You don't want it – you rejected it and me."

At this the sphere came to life, glowing and casting thousands of soft green beams into the darkness. A low hum started, playing a familiar melody…

The child sneered. "And it _still_ wants you. I can't believe it. I guard it for ten years, keeping it alive, and then you show up and-"

The elder Lia wasn't really paying attention though. The melody played softly, taking over her thoughts. She reached a hand out and the orb pulled towards her, almost wrenching out of Emerald's hands.

"Oh, want it _now_, do you?!" Emerald called in a high voice. "I wouldn't. You'll go absolutely mad. Forget about the league, you won't even be able to train all those precious little brats you call your pokemon."

The orb jerked again, stronger this time. The child frowned at this, but let go of the precious object. It floated through the void, each inch spilling light and color. The blackness shifted to a blue sky, a dark ocean, a tall tower…

"LIA!"

Lia twitched, snapped out of her daze. The orb grinded to a halt a few inches from her outstretched fingers.

"I…what? What am I…?"

"Lia, snap out of it! You need to – Mint, don't let him-!"

She clutched her head, pulling at her hair in an attempt to stop her splitting headache. Emerald recalled the orb with a flick of her wrist and smile as the world returned to black.

"Not ready to join us just yet, huh? Pity." she spat with venom. "He would have _loved_ to have you back."

Lia crumpled to the ground, writhing and clawing at her temples. "He…who? Who would have?" she gasped.

Emerald sighed. "It would kill him to hear you say that. Not remembering the reason for your – our, really – existence."

"I…"

"God dammit Lia, wake UP!"

Emerald began to fade from Lia's view, still smiling. "So long, Emerald Destined. Next time we meet, you'll probably remember everything."

--- --- ---

Lia, though her eyes were open, could suddenly see.

She seemed to be shivering and looking blankly up at Darren, who was holding her. There was a sharp and all too familiar metallic taste in her mouth.

"Darren?"

He looked down at her sharply, then wiped the corner of her mouth, his fingers coming back bloodied. "Shit." he hissed to himself. He then held up his hand. "How many fingers?"

"Four and a thumb."

"Okay. Okay, so you're…okay." he sighed, setting her on the ground carefully.

Lia looked up at him, confused but sensing that she shouldn't move yet. Her hands were burning something terrible.

Mint came into her field of vision, as well as Aurora who buried herself in Lia's chest. The psychic was shaking, muttering countless apologies.

'_I'm sorry! I should have known better! I know that I should never leave you by yourself, and I-!'_

"Not your fault." Lia replied. "I sent you away. I of all people should know not to talk to strangers." She turned her head and spat out a blood clot, then struggled into a sitting position.

"He got away." Darren said, not looking at her. "Mint chased him and managed to get a hold of his Umbreon, but Haku escaped. The Umbreon managed to get free of Mint's grasp a little later."

"Oh."

After another silence, Darren turned to her suddenly and said, "You know Lia, if you have freakin' epilepsy or something, now would be a good time to tell me. I leave for two seconds and you start seizuring and bleeding from the mouth and it's kind of fucking scary. That is the exact same way Ari was, and she's _dying_."

Lia was startled by Darren's outburst, though she could understand why he was worried – he clearly cared a lot about Ari, and if someone else was going the same way…well, that'd be hard for him to watch. But how much to tell him? What could she say without scaring him away? She knew that she had these blackouts, these seizures…but this was the first time she could remember what had happened in that darkness.

She took a deep breath. If she was going to go crazy, she might as well warn him.

"It's not epilepsy. Darren, it's…I think I'm going insane."

He stared blankly. "Lia, this isn't funny. Sure, you're a little weird, but-"

"No, _listen_." she said firmly, shutting him up. "I…I'm getting these visions, okay? Like blood. Lots of it. And sometimes, when I'm half asleep, I'll hear people screaming, or feeling like someone's grabbing my arm."

Her hysteria escalated as Darren remained quiet. "And you know, maybe I could deal with that, but it's happened before. When I was eight, I…there was a Drowzee. Cause I had really bad dreams and was keeping myself awake and collapsing all the time, okay? And it w-wanted to use Dream Eater."

Lia buried her face in her hands and cried, "The problems went away, but the Drowzee _died_, Darren. Whatever in my head was so poisonous that that poor pokemon died. But then I was okay…until I came to Hoenn. It's been getting worse ever since."

They were both quiet for a while, with Aurora gently patting Lia's knee. She finally said, "I-if you want to leave Darren, I won't blame you. We can meet up with Anna and you can go with her if you want a travelling partner. I-"

She was interrupted by Darren lightly knocking his fist against her head. Her startled, wide-eyed expression was so comical even he smirked.

"Okay, so you're a little messed up in the head. Who isn't? I have psychological baggage that couldn't get past airport security. We're both pretty fucked up then, right? I mean, look." He leaned back and counted on his hands. "Kou has abandonment and anger issues, as well as being downright stupid most of the time. Aurora's obsessed with you or something, and Nepti is paralyzingly shy. Raku has a dangerously huge ego that got him gutted, mind you, Faelia's basically a living doll, and Shadow…well, he's mentally normal, but half blind."

"On my side, Mint's just like me so that's clearly an issue. Hikage is anti-social, Leaf is permanently on crack, and R.T. is normal but pretty goddamn annoying. You see? We _all_ have issues. So we might as well keep the circus together, right?"

He stood up and, for once, offered to help Lia up. She grinned and took his hand – when Darren wanted to, he could actually be pretty nice!

"Oh, and just as a head's up – you've just used all my niceness for at least the next three weeks. No exceptions." Darren drawled. "Now let's get going."

So much for him being nice.

Still, he was willing to travel with her despite her impending insanity. She had scared off more than a few friends in elementary thanks to her crazy. Still…she would have to try harder to hide these episodes from Darren. No need to make him deal with even more.

It was then that she remembered Relem and what he must have seen.

Maybe having Darren along was a bad idea after all.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---  
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Coincidentally, the first line of this chapter was written two years ago. The rest in the last week. Crazy, huh? If you want to yell at me for being so terribly lax, please leave a review. Feel free to leave a review if you're happy too. :)

Also - hi Muja! :D


	30. Chapter 29: Of Kou and?

Woo, new chapter! And the end of my spring break. :

* * *

"You did it just to spite me, didn't you?" said Anna, jabbing an accusatory fork towards Lia and Darren.

Lia hid a smile and continued to eat her plate of scrambled eggs. Anna sure was an energetic morning person – she and Darren had stumbled into Fallarbor around five that morning and there Anna was, waiting outside the diner at the edge of town. Even now Darren was still blinking at his breakfast, confused. He wouldn't be awake for another hour or so.

"I told you Anna." Lia said as she nibbled on her toast. "I am extraordinarily unlucky. I can't walk five feet without nearly gouging out my eye."

Lia was hoping that she would get the chance to get her bandages removed before meeting up with her friend – after all, Anna had specifically told them to stay safe. Of course, between Slugma and Team Sky, that had been impossible.

"Oi, Red!" Anna said, turning her attention to Darren. "Wake up you! We've got a competition in five hours and you gotta be at least responsive!"

Darren managed to focus his eyes this time, muttering, "Contest? Today?"

"Yes, today!" Anna sighed, throwing her hands up. "I told you that you guys only had until Sunday! And look at that-" she said, shoving her Pokenav in his face. "Sunday, May 14th. You better have a clean suit."

"I have precisely one suit and…it's not too wrinkled, I think…" he said, dozing off again.

Anna sighed again and turned on Lia. "I'm gonna have to become your guys' full time manager or something. Okay, I'll get Sleepy here to a dry cleaner – you'll be okay for a couple of hours?"

This woke Darren. "Leave Lia by herself?"

"She's thirteen, not three." Anna replied with a roll of her eyes. "She can handle it."

They both glanced at Lia, Darren slightly concerned and Anna slightly irritated. Not wanting to cause any more drama, Lia squeaked, "No, it's okay! I'll even keep Aurora glued to my side, Darren. If I stick to town I should be fine."

He looked like he wanted to say more, but stubbornly kept his mouth closed, most likely remembering his kindness limit. With that Anna dragged him out of the booth and out of the door in a fluid motion, paying the bill as she went.

Aurora, for her part, clung to Lia's neck. _'You can be sure that I won't leave you Lia. Not after what happened.'_ the psychic murmured.

Lia smiled and patted her Kirlia's head. "I know. Now c'mon, let's go find a way to waste five hours."

--- --- ---

Fallarbor was quite the small town, as Lia quickly discovered. And, like all small towns, was quite boring. Lia took to kicking little porous rocks into craters, a few landing in gardens and angry professors' lawns. After a few angry complaints, she sighed and wandered west. She wouldn't be too far from town.

According to her Pokenav, this was Route 114. It was at least as rocky as the previous route, but the wind seemed to keep this side of the mountain soot-free. A bridge stretched over a winding river, along which fishermen sat patiently.

Yep. Boring.

Lia checked her Pokenav again – she still had three hours to go. She eyed the nearby mountain, then shrugged.

"We can totally climb that and be back in time, right Aurora?"

"_Unlikely."_ she replied, amused. It didn't concern her – she just clung to Lia's shoulder all the time. No walking for her.

"Ah, what the heck." Lia chuckled. "And, just to spice it up a little…"

She retrieved the remaining five pokeballs on her belt and released the rest of her team all at once. They stretched, happy to be out for the first time all day.

Kou was especially eager. _'What, what is it? Are we battling? Can I kick someone's ass?'_ Raku looked rather pleased at this prospect as well.

"Not right now." Lia replied, chuckling. "We're going to have the first Team Lia scavenger hunt!"

Most of the team looked curious, but Kou had started to scowl. "C'mon guys, it'll be fun! We'll split up into teams and find interesting things. Then when it's noon – er, when the sun's the highest – we'll meet back at the bridge and declare a winner!"

'_Then it __is__ a battle!'_ Kou cried. _'A battle of speed!'_

"Uh, not necessarily…" Lia started.

'_Yeah right! You're probably trying to sabotage my clearly brilliant strategy!'_

"_Brilliant? You?"_ Aurora mused.

Kou whirled and pointed dramatically at the Kirlia. _'You'll see, you damn psychic! I'll be the best damn scavenger there is! In fact, I don't even need a team!'_

With that, she turned and escaped into the grass. Lia sighed and put her face in her hands. "I…I didn't even explain the rules…"

'_D-don't worry Lia!'_ piped Nepti. _'I'm…I'm sure Kou understood a little!'_

'_She's a lost cause.'_ chimed the rest of the team.

--- --- ---

"Ha! Try and sabotage me, will they? I'll show them!" Kou muttered to herself, stomping through the grass and scaring off the resident pokemon.

Okay, interesting things. What did Lia find interesting? Kou couldn't be bothered to know that! Okay, things interesting to her, then.

The Combusken found several interesting things over the next half hour. She found berries, but they were simply too delicious. She found a Zangoose minding his own business, yet had managed to get into a very messy and vicious fight after Kou insulted the pokemon's mother. She found a house, but the door didn't break with several kicks so she got bored.

Kou quickly found herself growling, kicking dust up as she munched on flowers from said house's garden.

"Stupid Lia. What the hell is interesting? Battles are interesting, but you can't bring them to a bridge easily. This whole game is stupid!"

Her screeching scared up a local flock of bird pokemon, causing them to take to the sky in a panic. Kou scowled at their flighty nature and was about to leave when something caught her eye.

Lying in a downy nest was a little blue egg, perfectly oval and shiny. It was the only egg in the nest, though there were little shells scattered about. Kou wandered closer, tapping on it – it was cold, yet not hollow. After a sniff, she ventured a lick.

"IT TASTES GROSS!!" she yelped, trying to scrape the taste off of her tongue. "Ew, gross, gross, nothing like scrambled eggs!"

Scrambled eggs were rather delicious, Kou thought. And hey, any egg would do right? Lia might even consider dinner interesting!

"I'm a genius! Clearly a wonderful scavenger…whatever the hell that is." Kou thought proudly, gathering the egg in her arms and setting off towards the bridge.

Somewhere along the path the egg warmed to Kou's rather cozy body temperature. She took no notice of this. That is, until the egg shook.

The Combusken yelped and dropped the object. The egg bounced a little and rolled on its side, slightly cracked.

"Dinner shouldn't be this difficult…" Kou grumbled, picking up the egg again. "Wait…hold up…"

Kou examined the egg closer. It's once perfect surface now had a network of fine cracks across the surface, most concentrated in one area. Then, as Kou watched, a little white foot kicked through.

"HOLY SHIT!" Kou screeched again, dropping it. "It's mutating, it's mutating!"

The egg shattered upon impact with the ground, leaving the top of the eggshell to totter around unsteadily. When Kou calmed down enough to look, she saw two little claws shuffling around underneath it.

Very, very cautiously, Kou lifted the corner of the shell. Two big black eyes locked onto her face. It was a tiny little blue bird with puffy white wings, looking very confused. Kou was rather disappointed – this meant no scrambled eggs.

Then the little baby chirped, very quietly, "…Mama…?"

Oh. Hell. No.

"Uh uh, no way! Definitely not your mom kid!" Kou replied, backing away quickly.

The baby seemed undeterred. "Mama!" it cheeped again, fluttering its wings to get closer.

They began a cycle of Kou backing away and the little bird following. For such a young creature, it sure learned how to chase fast. The Combusken managed to escape up a tree, leaving the confused baby on the ground.

"M-mama?" it whined. "Mama? Maaaaaamaaaaa!!"

Kou tried to ignore the cries and pleas of the bird. If only it didn't sound so much like _she_ had as a child, this would have been a lot easier. She certainly still recalled how upset she had been when she had been captured and how much she whined for her mother.

She was rather abruptly snapped back to reality when the baby's cries took on a terrified lilt. "MAMA!"

Jumping down, Kou scooped up the baby and held it to her chest, one arm out towards the assailant. Of course, when she encountered a familiar face, she relaxed.

"Oh, it's just you Faelia. What the hell you think you're doing, scaring it?"

The Zigzagoon raised an eyebrow. "And when did _you_, of all people, become a mother? To a little Swablu, even. Poor girl."

Kou looked down at the little fluff ball still cuddled to her chest, eyeing Faelia worriedly. She considered dropping the thing, but had a suspicion that those little claws were good for more than walking. She turned her big black eyes up at the Combusken, beak quivering.

"Mama…dun put meh dow." she whimpered.

Oh great – it could talk now. _She_ could talk now, Kou amended – it was a girl, right? A Swablu, whatever the hell that was.

"Looks like she's imprinted on you, too. Wonder how you managed that…" Faelia added, bemused.

"Imprinted…? The hell is…"

"She thinks you're her mother, Kou. Most babies do that you know. If she's separated from you now it will be quite traumatic for the poor thing."

Kou snarled down at the Swablu, which stared up at her adoringly. This…this was bad.

"St-stop looking at me like that!" Kou demanded.

"Mama mad?" Swablu replied, tilting her head to the side.

"Yes, dammit. Now get off!"

The Swablu nuzzled all the deeper into Kou's fluffy chest. "Mama warm. Mama nice."

Kou shot a panicked look at Faelia. "Can't you dislodge this thing?!"

"You should probably get her to Lia, actually." Faelia replied. "She'll probably be able to help."

"Since when has Lia helped anything?!" Kou yelped.

"Um, since always. Maybe you've forgotten the whole training us to be stronger and feeding us thing, but yeah."

Kou sighed irritably – this is precisely why she hated logic. And thinking. And being nice. Glancing down at the baby Swablu, she discovered it sleeping soundly. Wonderful.

"Let's get walking then. Lia better make me a whole wagon of scrambled eggs for this…" Kou ignored Faelia's confused look and stalked off.

They walked for quite a ways in silence. Kou was irritated at the awkwardness – although she and Faelia had been with Lia for a long time, she never really talked to the Zigzagoon. Kou spent her time arguing with Aurora, Shadow, and Raku – Fae and Nepti were pretty much non-entities to her. At least Nepti had something to hold Kou's attention – she was a water type. Faelia didn't even have that.

"You chatter a lot more when Lia's around." Kou grumbled.

"I do." Fae replied, her expression remaining even.

"…you gonna explain that? Gotta problem with me or something?"

"No, I have nothing against you. I don't really think anything about you, actually."

This irked Kou. The Combusken pretty much thrived on attention – it was why she didn't exactly hate the clingy little Swablu. She always wanted people and pokemon to look at her, and here Faelia was basically ignoring her!

"Well you won't have to worry about that much longer." Kou snapped back. "This Swablu makes seven – Lia's gonna have to box one of us. Clearly you're on the chopping block, being a Zigzagoon and all."

"I know that."

When Kou looked startled, Faelia continued, "I seem to have upset you with my nonchalance. I apologize. But I'm afraid that I really don't care about anything."

Faelia kept walking on, leaving Kou temporarily stunned. This was the most they had spoken to each other and…Kou wasn't sure she liked what she heard at all. She had been hoping to upset with her remarks, but this was somehow worse.

--- --- ---

"IT'S A BABY!" Lia cooed, sweeping the Swablu out of Kou's arms and twirling around. The Swablu cheeped happily, naturally at ease with Lia.

'_Never knew you were so irresponsible, Kou.'_ Raku chuckled.

'_Shut it rat.'_ she spat back.

'_Aw, no foul language in front of the baby~'_ Aurora snickered, elbowing the fighter.

'_I'm more worried about any child who calls Kou 'Mama'. That's just…wrong, somehow.'_ Shadow said, shaking his head.

Nepti, for her part, was staring eagerly up at the baby. Noticing the Marill's look, Lia plopped down the Swablu on top of her head. Nepti beamed and set the baby down, patting her head motherly and cooing.

'_Since when was Nepti motherly?'_ Kou asked with a bit of a pout.

'_She raised her sister's kids back in her tribe. You never noticed her herding and feeding Leaf and R.T.? Nepti loves kids.'_ Shadow replied, looking at her curiously. _'What? Are you going to make some sort of 'she's __my__ baby!' speech?'_

Kou frowned and crossed her arms. _'O-of course not, that's stupid. That kid is…my disciple. Chee.'_

'_Chee?'_ the rest of the team exclaimed at once.

'_Chee is her name, 'cause she cheeps.'_ Kou responded matter of factly.

"Chee? Did you call her Chee? That's what Kou said, right Aurora?" Lia piped up, suddenly joining the conversation.

"_Er…that appears to be the case…"_ Aurora replied reluctantly.

"That's adorable!" Lia replied, starry eyed. "Chee the Swablu. I guess this means you win the scavenger hunt, Kou!"

The Combusken looked rather smug – that is, until Chee fluttered out of Nepti's care and buried herself in Kou's chest.

'_Mama! Pway!'_ she demanded.

Kou glared at her snickering teammates and said sternly, _'There's no playing with me, Chee. Instead, we will train!'_

'_Twain?'_ Chee repeated, tilting her head curiously.

'_Yes, training. First lesson – fly!'_

Kou picked up the poor Swablu and prepared to hurl her but was stopped by Aurora and Shadow. _'What? She needs to learn!'_

While her pokemon squabbled, Lia frowned at their numbers. Seven – too many. But what to do? Each and every one of her pokemon was precious to her, yet she could see that Chee needed to be with Kou. Even now, as Kou argued with Raku, the fighter was cradling the little bird to her. Awkwardly and a little too tight, but holding her nonetheless. It might even do wonders for her personality.

Before she knew it, Faelia had popped up beside her, smiling as always. Lia grinned and absently ran her fingers through the pokemon's short fur – Fae always knew how to make her feel better. She always seemed to do exactly what Lia wanted. So when she spoke up suddenly and shocked Aurora, Lia was confused.

"What? What did Fae say?" Lia asked Aurora.

The Kirlia blinked, staring openly at Faelia. She nodded, indicating that Aurora should go on. The rest of the team stopped their bickering to eavesdrop.

"_Ah…really, Fae?"_ Aurora replied. _"Well, um…Faelia volunteers to be boxed so make room for Chee. She says she doesn't mind at all."_

"What?! Faelia, don't talk like that!" Lia exclaimed. "I…I mean I know that we can't all be…um…"

In all honesty, Lia didn't know how to make this work. Now she had seven sets of eyes on her and was feeling very uncomfortable. This was an aspect of training that she hadn't even considered when she set out with Kou two months ago.

Faelia spoke up again, leaving Aurora to translate. _"She says that you're on your way to be a good trainer Lia, and what good trainer has a Zigzagoon on their team? She says she – Faelia, you can't honestly think – ok, um, she says that she knows that she's basically useless –"_

"You're not useless!" Lia said, yelling loud enough to startle Chee. "Faelia, what the heck – do you want to leave me or something?"

Amidst the crying Swablu and the uncomfortable looks, Faelia looked straight up into Lia's eyes. For once, despite the lovely smile, Lia was looking into eyes she had only caught a glimpse of before. This was a completely empty look, devoid of the adoring and obedient expression she was used to. She suddenly remembered Darren telling her that Faelia was like a living doll. At the time she hadn't understood – Fae was wonderful – but suddenly she saw it.

'_I only want what you want, Lia.'_

Even if Aurora hadn't translated, Lia would've known. Faelia had never ever done anything against Lia's will. Not once in their whole time together. She always accepted the smallest portion of the worst food. She always followed commands to the T and never argued with anyone.

Lia wondered why she never noticed how unnervingly unnatural that was.

"Faelia…I don't think you know what I want." Lia said quietly.

Faelia recoiled as if shocked, her smile wiping right off her face. She looked like she was struggling to smile and shrug it off, but she couldn't seem to muster it. The others watched as if staring at a train wreck, watching one unnatural smile after another crumble.

Then, without warning, Faelia ran.

She darted into the bushes, her path zigzagging through the grass with surprising speed. Lia grabbed Faelia's pokeball off of her belt but it was too late – the grass was still again, swaying only slightly in the wind. The distant splash of water was the only sign.

Faelia was gone.

* * *

I figured it was about time to explain Fae's rather complicated personality. Hopefully the next chapter will shed some light on her psyche.

As always, please review~!


End file.
